The World awaits Sunita Williams’ return to Earth

The International Space Station (ISS) was jointly established in November 1998 by the United States, Russia, the European Union, Japan, and Canada. It is located about 460 km from Earth and orbits the planet at a speed of 28,000 km per hour. The ISS, measuring 109 meters in length, 73 meters in width, and 45 meters in height, weighs 450 tons and accommodates a team of seven astronauts, who are usually replaced every six months. Since 2011, NASA has stopped sending its own spacecraft to the ISS. Currently, only the Dragon spacecraft from the American company SpaceX and the Russian Soyuz spacecraft transport astronauts to and from the station.
In this context, the American company Boeing developed a new spacecraft called Starliner. On June 5 last year, Indian-origin American astronaut Sunita Williams and fellow astronaut Barry Wilmore traveled to the ISS aboard this spacecraft. They were initially scheduled to return to Earth after 10 days of exploration. However, a technical issue with the Starliner spacecraft prevented their return. On September 7 last year, the Starliner returned to Earth empty, without any crew. As a result, NASA decided to bring Sunita and Barry back to Earth using SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft. Currently, there are seven astronauts on the ISS: Sunita Williams, Barry Wilmore, Nick Hack, Dan Pettit from the United States, and Alexei, Ivan Vagner, and Alexander from Russia.
Last Saturday, four new astronauts Anne McClain and Nicole Ayers from the USA, Takuya Onishi from Japan, and Chris Pescos from Russia launched to the ISS aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The Falcon 9 rocket, which carried them, was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and successfully docked with the ISS yesterday. The new arrivals were welcomed by Sunita Williams and the rest of the crew currently aboard the ISS. In the coming days, the new crew will take over responsibilities, and four astronauts will return to Earth using SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft. Reports suggest that their return is scheduled for the 19th.
The successful docking of SpaceX’s spacecraft at the ISS has delighted space enthusiasts worldwide. The delay in bringing back the astronauts was a significant setback for NASA and the United States. However, Elon Musk’s SpaceX stepped in to assist with the mission, proving to be a crucial partner in the rescue operation. For this achievement, Elon Musk and his company, SpaceX, deserve great praise. Now, the world eagerly awaits the safe return of Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore to Earth!