ISRO chief lauds Sunita Williams as Boeing Starliner faces delays.
ISRO Chairman S Somanath lauded Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams while addressing the delayed return of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft from the International Space Station.
Speaking to NDTV, Somanath said a prolonged stay should not indicate danger as ISS ensures long-term safety. He termed Williams’ space missions courageous and said agencies assess new vehicles’ reliability.
While wishing Williams a safe return, Somanath highlighted nine astronauts onboard are not ‘stranded’. He observed sufficient capabilities to bring them home and experience sharing between space agencies.
Praising Williams’ significant contributions through experience-based inputs, Somanath said ISRO too is building a crew module and understands interaction nuances.
“We are all proud of her. It is courageous to travel on a new vehicle’s first flight as part of a design team,” remarked the ISRO chief on Williams advising India’s program.
Somanath viewed space capabilities as serving humanity, with tomorrow’s craft rescuing other nations. He expressed solidarity towards enabling Starliner’s certification through technical reviews.
NASA last week postponed Starliner’s return carrying Williams and others, allowing evaluation of issues encountered during the final demonstration flight on June 5.
