'Amazing, just amazing': Sunita Williams on how India looks from space; has THIS to say on Himalayas, Mumbai

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams has shared her awe-inspiring experiences of viewing India from space, describing the country as an 'incredible' network of lights with the Himalayas and Mumbai standing out remarkably.

When asked how India looks from the space, she said: "Amazing, just amazing."

Williams, who spent 286 days aboard the International Space Station, reminisced about the mesmerising sights, stating: "India is amazing. Every time we went over the Himalayas, Butch (Wilmore, fellow astronaut) got incredible pictures, it is just amazing."

During her mission, Williams had the opportunity to observe the Indian subcontinent extensively.

She said: "I have described it before like this ripple that happened obviously when the plates collided and then, as it flows down into India, it is many-many colours. I think when you come from the East going into Gujarat and Mumbai, and (you see) the fishing fleet that is off the coast there, it gives you a little bit of a beacon, here we come. All throughout India, I think the impression that I had was this network of lights and from the bigger cities going to the smaller cities, and just incredible to look at night as well as during the day highlighted of course by the Himalayas which is just incredible as the forefront going down into India."

Williams expressed excitement about NASA's forthcoming Axiom mission, which notably includes Subhanshu Shukla, an Indian Air Force test pilot. Williams is enthusiastic about contributing to India's burgeoning space flight programme, stating, "I hope we can meet up at some point and share our experiences with as many people in India - why as possible because it is a great country and another wonderful democracy."

Williams' recent mission alongside astronaut Butch Wilmore was intended to last eight days but extended to over nine months due to technical issues with the Boeing Starliner.

These issues resulted in their return on SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, highlighting the challenges faced during their mission. Wilmore commented, 'Okay, in certain respects, we were stuck. In certain respects, maybe we were stranded, but in the grand scheme of things, we weren’t stuck because we were prepared and trained.'

The astronauts also acknowledged the support from US President Donald Trump and SpaceX's Elon Musk, which facilitated their safe return. Williams noted, 'Our situation allowed a lot of people, including the President and Elon, to look at what's going on on the International Space Station, take it very seriously, and understand that our involvement as a country, as a space-faring nation, is really important throughout the world.'

Looking ahead, Williams hopes to visit India, the birthplace of her parents, and is eager to take her crew members along. She assured co-traveller Wilmore, 'Absolutely,' when he expressed interest in joining her trip. She humorously added, 'You might stick out a little bit. That is okay. We will get you all primed to some spicy food.'