Sunita Williams’ return from ISS delayed yet again

NASA astronaut of Indian origin Sunita Williams’ return from the International Space Station (ISS) has been postponed once again.

Williams, 59, will now touch down on Earth after March next year. NASA clarified that the crew is healthy and safe aboard the ISS. The US space agency announced that the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, supposed to bring back Williams, will launch not before late March.

Williams reached the ISS in June this year. Initially it was planned as a 7-10 day mission but later, her return was delayed to February next year due to safety issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, which she piloted to space.

Extended stays in a near-zero-gravity environment have many consequences on the human body, which is designed to function under Earth’s gravity. The human body tends to lose bone density, making bones brittle in space.

As muscles are not used for any weight-bearing, they almost become weightless in space, losing mass. Other organs like the heart, liver, and eyes also experience changes. Most of these changes are reversed once astronauts return to Earth and retrain under Earth’s gravity.

Williams is a veteran of spaceflights, and the current mission is her third flight into space. Combining all her space journeys, she has already spent over 517 days during her missions. At one point, she held the record for the most time spent on spacewalks, clocking over 51 hours of extra-vehicular activity (EVA).

NASA and SpaceX assessed various options regarding the next crewed handover, including using another Dragon spacecraft and making manifest adjustments. After intense deliberations and careful consideration, the team determined that launching Crew-10 in late March, following the completion of the new Dragon spacecraft, was the best option for meeting NASA’s requirements and achieving space station objectives for 2025.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission, with astronauts Nick Hague, Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, will return to Earth following the arrival of Crew-10 at the orbital laboratory.

There were rumours that Williams had lost weight and was not healthy but NASA dismissed them. NASA also confirmed that the space station recently received two resupply flights in November and is well-stocked with everything the crew needs. The resupply spacecraft also carried special items for the crew to celebrate the holidays aboard the orbital platform.