Why Sunita Williams is Stuck in Space and When Will She Finally Come Home?

Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams and her fellow companion Butch Wilmore have now spent a lot of time in space. Right now, she is on the International Space Station (ISS), which is like a big laboratory that orbits around the Earth.

It all began when NASA revealed that Sunita Williams and her fellow astronaut, Butch Wilmore, would make history by becoming the first individuals to fly on the Boeing Starliner. But it all turned into a big mess when NASA revealed that the Boeing spacecraft had encountered several defects, and now the two astronauts would have to remain in space or stay aboard the ISS for the coming months.

Why Sunita Williams is Stuck

The reason she is “stuck” in space is that she is waiting for a ride back to Earth! You see, astronauts like Sunita travel to space on a special spacecraft called a rocket, and they stay in space for a while to do their work. When their work is done, they need to wait for another spacecraft to come and pick them up to bring them back home.

One of the main issue that’s stopping Sunita Williams to return to Earth is the Parachute System of Boeing Starliner, which is used during re-entry into Earth’s orbit. The problem was discovered during a recent mission, and NASA and SpaceX are currently investigating and working on a fix.

We have the answers to your most-asked #Starliner questions. Learn more about NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test to the @Space_Station—and keep checking this page for the latest updates: https://t.co/vHT5rrOs3M pic.twitter.com/79dLsu34AS

— NASA (@NASA) August 20, 2024

What NASA is Planning To Do

As we already know, Boeing’s Starliner, initially designed to bring astronauts back from the International Space Station (ISS), has encountered recent technical issues. NASA is yet to make a crucial decision regarding the return of two astronauts, and in this regard, the space company, along with SpaceX, will announce their final decision on Saturday whether to rely on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft or switch to SpaceX’s Dragon as the trusted transportation.