NASA astronaut Sunita Williams to go LIVE from space tonight; first telecast since 2025 return announcement

NASA has announced to bring back astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore in February 2025 which makes it 8 months stay for the duo. Tonight at 11.45 pm IST, the two astronauts will go live for the first time after the announcement of their return date. Both Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams will talk to media about the work they are doing in space, their well-being and more.

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams to go live: How to watch the livestream

To watch the press conference with the two astronauts live, you can visit the company’s official website, NASA app, social media handles of NASA or the official YouTube page tonight at 11.45 pm IST. You can also tap on the embedded link below.

 

Sunita Williams could have come back safely on Boeing Starliner?

The faulty Boeing Starliner spacecraft, uncrewed, recently made its way back to Earth safely and landed in New Mexico safely last week. Turns out, the two astronauts, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore could have also come back to Earth in the same space capsule safely, stated NASA. Steve Stich, manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program stated, “If Butch and Suni had been on board, everything would have gone smoothly.” When asked if he regrets the decision of not bringing the astronauts on the Boeing spacecraft, he said, that he stands by the decision and stated that it was the right decision to not have Williams and Wilmore onboard because they were not certain if Starliner could have made a successful landing.

How did they get stuck in space?

The Starliner’s launch, originally set for May, was delayed due to a valve issue, followed by engineers addressing a helium leak. This is a setback for Boeing, which is competing with SpaceX, a company that has successfully transported astronauts to the ISS over 20 times since 2020.

When the Starliner finally launched on June 5, it wasn’t without complications. NASA reported three helium leaks—one known prior to the flight and two newly discovered. This made it risky for the astronauts to return in the space capsule.

Are these NASA astronauts safe in space?

Stitch had earlier stated, “There is no rush to bring the crew home”. He assured, “The station is a nice, safe place to stop and take our time to work through the vehicle and make sure we’re ready to come home.”

How are the astronauts coming back?

According to NASA, “Wilmore and Williams will continue their work formally as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew through February 2025. They will fly home aboard a Dragon spacecraft with two other crew members assigned to the agency's SpaceX Crew-9 mission."