- NASA astronaut Sunita Williams' Starliner mission unexpectedly extended to nine-and-a-half months
- She dismissed fears of being stranded, expressing trust in spacecraft safety and processes
- On whether she wanted to go to the Moon, the 60-year-old joked, then said it was time to pass the torch
NASA Astronaut Sunita Williams has always been known for her courage, her quiet confidence, and an unwavering belief in teamwork. But when her short, less than ten-day test flight aboard Boeing's Starliner unexpectedly stretched into nine-and-a-half months on the International Space Station (ISS), the world wondered: Was she stranded? Was the mission in trouble?
Speaking candidly in an exclusive conversation with NDTV, she dismissed those fears. "I don't feel that way myself," she said firmly when asked whether she felt abandoned in orbit. "I can understand why other people might have got that impression... but I have a lot of trust and faith in the process and how we put together spacecraft and how we launch spacecraft to the International Space Station."
Hers was the first crewed Starliner mission, a crucial test flight for Boeing, and setbacks were expected. But the scale of the hiccups - particularly the thruster issues - forced unexpected decisions. The spacecraft could not return as planned with a crew.
"Yes, we had a problem... We expected some hiccups. This is one that maybe we didn't really expect entirely... but we knew that we would be part of the space station crew," she said.
'Right Place, Right Time'
Asked whether she felt helpless at any point, she replied without hesitation: "We always had a way home. Maybe not the most optimum way home, but we always had a way."
And what about those tense moments when Starliner's thrusters struggled during docking?
"Perish is a strong word, right?" Williams said, adding that she and Butch Wilmore, her crewmate, were prepared to dock manually if needed. They had rehearsed it extensively. If manual docking endangered the station, they were ready to back away and attempt a return.
"We weren't 100% positive that would work out successfully... But you solve one problem at a time... I was at the right place at the right time and not at the wrong place at the wrong time," she emphasised.
Eye On The Moon
Even after a mission that didn't go as planned, her enthusiasm for exploration remains undimmed.
Asked about NASA preparing to head to the Moon again with the Artemis II mission, Williams' eyes lit up. "I'm so excited for it. This is a huge undertaking... so much to learn. It's a necessary step as we progress to landing on the Moon," she said.
The 60-year-old has just retired from the NASA astronaut pool, but the private sector is always an option, as she has spent 608 days in space on three different space missions using three different rockets. She has also carried out a total of nine space walks, totalling 62 hours in space.
Does she want to go?
"I'd love to go to the Moon. But my husband would kill me," she said with a laugh.
But then came the reflective pause of someone who has spent a lifetime in space and knows what comes next.
"It's time to come home... It's also time to pass the torch. The next generation of space explorers needs to make their place in history," she says.
A Message for India
Williams has long been affectionately embraced as "India's adopted daughter", owing to her Gujarati heritage and deep cultural connection.
"I'm so excited for what's happening here in India... I'm so happy for the cooperation we've displayed, the United States and India, in the last couple of years. The imagination is the limit."
On Gaganyaan, India's first human space mission, she was unequivocally supportive. The next big leap for India, she said, will come from the same mix of ambition, technology, and teamwork that defines all successful space programs. The astronaut also called for more women and men in STEM to power this dream forward.
Williams, whose maiden name was Pandya, takes her identity and her heritage with her into orbit. She is known as the "samosa-eating astronaut", and she embraces the title with joy. "I'm looking forward to seeing samosas on the Moon one day," she laughed.
Williams also carried an idol of Lord Ganesh, a copy of the Bhagavad Gita, and Indian snacks with her on her missions
Asked whether Lord Ganesh's blessings protected her during the unexpectedly long Starliner mission, she responded warmly: "Of course he was with me... I think about Lord Ganesh every time I think about my father. He opened the door to Indian culture for me... and what a blessing that is."
She also credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for supporting space co-operation and space exploration.
