New York, September 10: NASA astronaut Sunita Williams is set to celebrate her birthday on September 19 in space for the second time in her life as her stay on the the International Space Station (ISS) has been extended. Due to technical issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, NASA has decided to bring the faulty spacecraft back uncrewed. As a result, astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore will remain aboard the International Space Station (ISS) until February 2025, returning with the SpaceX Crew-9 members.

This extended stay means that Sunita Williams will celebrate her 59th birthday in space on September 19, marking the second time she has celebrated her birthday aboard the ISS. Williams celebrated her 47th birthday during her 2012 stay aboard the ISS. Williams, a former US Navy pilot born in 1965, was initially scheduled for an eight-day mission as part of the Boeing Crew Flight Test. Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore Get Rare Day Off Aboard ISS, THIS Is How They Spent One-Day Holiday.

Sunita Williams' Space Journey

Williams is no stranger to space missions. She has previously spent a total of 322 days in space over two missions. Her first mission was as part of Expedition 14/15, where she launched on December 9, 2006, with the crew of STS-116 and docked with the ISS on December 11, 2006. During this mission, she set a world record for women with four spacewalks, totalling 29 hours and 17 minutes outside the ISS. She returned to Earth on June 22, 2007, landing at Edwards Air Force Base. Her record was later broken by astronaut Peggy Whitson in 2008. NASA Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore Fate Uncertain As Return From ISS May Be Delayed Until February 2025.

Williams’ second mission was as part of Expedition 32/33. She launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on July 14, 2012, along with Yuri Malenchenko from Roscosmos and Akihiko Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. They reached the ISS on July 17 and returned on November 18, 2012, after 127 days. During this mission, Williams celebrated her 47th birthday aboard the ISS.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 10, 2024 10:24 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).