Sunita Williams Returned to Earth| Sunita Williams Current Affairs 2025| Space Current Affairs 2025
Sunita Williams Current Affairs 2025: Astronaut Sunita Williams returns to Earth in 2025, marking a remarkable milestone in her space journey.
Table of Contents
3 more astronauts along with Sunita Williams return to Earth
- As per Indian time, on 19 March 2025 at 3.27 am, Indian origin American astronaut Sunita Williams has returned to Earth after 9 months and 13 days (286 days).
- Along with Sunita Williams, 3 more astronauts have also returned to Earth, these astronauts are – Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague and Aleksander Gorbunov, all of them were stranded on the space station with Sunita Williams.
- Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have returned to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS).
- These two astronauts were stuck on the ISS due to the failure of Boeing’s spacecraft Starliner.
- Their return mission was carried out through the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule along with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, which brought them safely to Earth The capsule’s splashdown (landing in the sea) took place off the coast of Florida.
- NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore launched on June 5, 2024, on an eight-day mission to the International Space Station aboard a Boeing Starliner.
- Nick Hague and Alexander Gorbunov launched on September 28, 2024, aboard SpaceX’s Dragon Freedom spacecraft, which docked at the space station on September 29, 2024, and brought back Crew-9.
Crew-9 Mission
- The SpaceX Crew-9 mission is known as ‘USCV-9’ and was a part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
- It was intended to send a crew to the International Space Station (ISS).
- It was operated by SpaceX
- Mission Types – ISS crew transport
- Mission Duration – 171 days, 4 hours, 39 minutes Spacecraft – Crew Dragon Freedom
- Manufacturer – SpaceX
- Launch Date – 28 September 2024
- Rocket – Falcon 9
Starliner spacecraft
- The Starliner spacecraft is a manned and unmanned spacecraft built by Boeing, primarily designed to send crew to the International Space Station (ISS) under NASA’s.
Commercial Crew Program
- Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore flew to the ISS on June 5, 2024 on the test vehicle Starliner
Astronauts returned to-Earth under Crew-10 mission
1. Nick Hague (Commander) – NASA
2. Aleksandr Gorbunov (Mission specialist)- ROSCOSMOS
3. Berry E. Wilmore (Mission specialist) – NASA
4. Sunita Williams (Mission specialist) – NASA
Sunita Williams
- Sunita Lyn Williams is an Indian-American astronaut and NASA engineer.
- Sunita Williams joined NASA in 1998.
- After Kalpana Chawla, she is the second Indian-American woman to go to space through the American space agency NASA.
- Sunita Williams hails from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.
- Sunita Williams has spent a total of 286 days in space.
- Sunita Williams has become the third female scientist to spend the most number of days on the ISS in a single trip.
- Christina Koch is at the in this case with 328 days.
Nick Hague
- Nick Hague was the first to be taken out of the SpaceX capsule. Nick Hague is a colonel who was selected as an astronaut by NASA in the year 2013.
Aleksandr Gorbunov
- Russia’s Aleksandr Gorbunov was the second astronaut to be evacuated from SpaceX’s capsule that returned to Earth.
- Aleksandr Gorbunov’s first trip to the space station was as a mission specialist for Crew-9.
- Butch Wilmore was the last astronaut to be ejected from the capsule, he is a retired US Navy captain.
About the International Space Station
- The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest manmade structure in space.
- It was launched in 1998.
- It is built in collaboration with space agencies of various countries, including NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA and CSA.
- It serves as a habitat for astronauts.
- It orbits about 400 kilometers above the Earth.
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When was Sunita Williams born ?
Ans: 19 September 1965
Important Points-
About Sunita Williams-
- Full name- Sunita Lyn Williams
- Date of Birth- 19 September 1965
- Place of Birth- Euclid, Ohio, US
- Nationality- American
- Father- Deepak Pandya (Indian origin, Gujarati)
- Mother- Bonnie Pandya (Slovenian origin)
- Husband- Michael J. Williams
Sunita Williams works for which space agency?
Ans: NASA
Important Points:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration-
- It is space agency of NASA (USA).
- Establishment- 29 July 1958
- Headquarters- Washington DC (USA)
- Administration- Janet Petro (Caretaker)
- Motto- For The Benefit of All
Sunita Williams is the astronaut of which country?
Ans: America
After staying in space for 9 months, by which mission Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have been brought safely to Earth from the Space Station (ISS)?
Ans: SpaceX Crew-10 Mission
Important Point —
- On March 14, 2025, SpaceX’s Falcon-9 rocket took off for the mission carrying four astronauts.
- This mission was named Crew-10, Crew-IO means the 10th exchange mission of crew members.
- The Dragon spacecraft mounted on the rocket docked to the Harmony module of the International Space Station (ISS) on the night of March 15.
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Under which mission did Sunita Williams travel to space for the first time?
Ans: STS-116
Important Point —
- STS-116 Mission- was an important mission for the construction of the International Space Station (ISS).
- Launch This mission was launched on December 9, 2006 from Space Shuttle Discovery.
- Sunita Williams was involved in this mission as a mission specialist.
- Sunita Williams spent 192 days in space in this mission and did four spacewalks, which included a total time of 29 hours and 17 minutes
When did Sunita Williams first fly into the space?
Ans: 2006
Important Point —
Sunita Williams flew to space on 9 December 2006 with the STS-116 mission, her journey was part of Expedition 14/15.
Who is the second Indian-origin woman to go to space?
Ans: Sunita Williams
Important Point —
- After Kalpana Chawla, Sunita Williams is the second Indianorigin woman to go to space through NASA
About Kalpana Chawla –
- Kalpana Chawla first flew on the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997 as a mission specialist and primary robotic arm operator.
- She was one of the seven crew members killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.
- Note- Shirisha Bandla is the third woman of Indian origin to go to space.
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How many times has Sunita Williams flown into space in total?
Ans: Three
Important Point –
- First Space flight (Expedition 14/15- STS-116 & STS-117)
- Launch- December 2006 (STS-116)
- Docking at the International Space Station (ISS)- 11 December 2006
- Role- Flight engineer
- Space Walk- 4 times, total 29 hours 17 minutes
- Return- 22 June 2007 (STS-117)
- Second space flight (Expedition 32/33 – Soyuz TMA-05M)
- Launch- 15 July 2012 (Soyuz TMA-05M)
- Role- Commander (Expedition 33)
- Spacewalk- 3 times, total 50 hours 40 minutes
- Return- 19 November 2012
- Third space journey under Expedition 71/72
- Launch – On June 5, 2024 (from Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft)
- Arrival at the International Space Station (ISS)- on 6 June 2024 Original Mission Duration- The plan was for 8 days, but due to technical problems it extended to almost 9 months.
- Return to Earth- March 18-19, 2025 via SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft.
Sunita Williams holds which record in terms of duration of stay in space?
Ans: Longest female astronaut in space
Important Points:
- Sunita Williams has been on Space missions three times so far, including the 2006, 2013 and 2024 space missions.
- Where she has spent a total of 608 hours on the International Space Station (ISS).
- This is the second longest period in space for any NASA astronaut.
Who is the astronaut who returned to Earth with Sunita Williams?
Ans: Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague and Aleksader Gorbunov
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During which mission did Sunita Williams become the commander of the International Space Station (ISS)?
Ans: Expedition 33
Important Points:
- Expedition 33 was a mission to the International Space Station (ISS), with Sunita Williams serving as commander.
Key details of the mission-
- Launch- 15 July 2012
- Spacecraft- Soyuz TMA-05M
- Connecting to the space station- 17 July 2012
What is the total number of EVAs (Spacewalks) done by Sunita Williams in space?
Ans: 9
Important Points:
Spacewalks EVA Extra- Vehicular Activity
- A spacewalk is an activity in which an astronaut works outside a spacecraft.
- This activity occurs when astronauts leave a spacecraft and work in an external environment, such as repairing a space station, installing new equipment, or conducting scientific experiments.
How many hours has Sunita Williams done spacewalks in total?
Ans. 62 hours, 6 minutes
In which year the Government of India honored Sunita Williams with the country’s third highest civilian award ‘Padma Bhushan’ for her contribution in the field of ‘ Science and Engineering’?
Ans: 2008
How many days has Sunita Williams spent in space in her career?
Ans: 608 days
Which astronaut was awarded the ‘Order of Friendship’ by Russia in 2012 for his contribution to international space missions?
Ans: Sunita Williams
Important Points:
- In 2007, the Gujarat government honoured him with the ‘Gujarat Gaurav Award‘.
- In 2008, IIT Kanpur honoured him with the honoured degree of ‘Doctor of Science‘.
- In 2007, the Sikh community honored him with the title of ‘Shri Sahib’.
Who is the first woman to complete a marathon race in space?
Ans: Sunita Williams
Important Point:
- Sunita Williams virtually participated in the Boston Marathon on 16 April 2007 while on the International Space Station (ISS).
- Sunita Williams completed the Boston Marathon in 4 hours 24 minutes on a treadmill on the International Space Station (ISS) on 16 April 2007, becoming the first person to run a marathon in space
Who has broken the record of 60 hours and 21 minutes of female astronaut Peggy Whitson for doing most spacewalks?
Ans: Sunita Williams
Important Point –
Sunita Williams has now completed a total of 62 hours and 6 minutes of spacewalk time, breaking Peggy Whitson’s record of 60 hours and 21 minutes
She moves to fourth place on NASA’s all-time spacewalk list.
Top NASA’s All- Time Spacewalk List-
- Anatoly Solovyev- 82 hours and 22 minutes
- Michael Lopez- Alegria- 67 hours and 40 minutes
- Stephen G. Bowen-65 hours and 57 minutes.
- Sunita Williams- 62 hours and 6 minutes.
- Peggy Whitson- 60 hours and 21 minutes
In which year was Sunita Williams selected in NASA?
Ans: 1998
Sunita Williams belongs to which city of India?
Ans: Ahmedabad (Gujarat)
Important Point —
Sunita Williams’ father Dr. Deepak Pandya was from Jhulasan village in Mehsana district of Gujarat, hence
Sunita’s native village is Jhulasan.
Which Indian-origin astronaut has set a new record for the longest time spent in space ?
Ans: Sunita Williams
Important Point —
- Sunita Williams has set a new record for the longest spacewalk in space by a female astronaut, spending a total of 62 hours and 6 minutes on spacewalking, breaking Peggy Whitson’s previous record of 60 hours and 21 minutes.
Who among the following was the first woman to go into space ?
Ans: Valentina Tereshkova
