WASHINGTON: Indian-origin Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore on Friday morning entered the International Space Station, the US space agency said on Friday. NASA’s Boeing Starliner carrying the two astronauts had docked with the ISS after lifting off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on June 5. Footage from NASA showed the two NASA astronauts entering through the hatch door of the USS at 3:46 pm ET on Thursday (which translates to IST on Friday morning). The seven astronauts of the Expedition 71 crew on the ISS greeted Sunita and Butch, the first astronauts to fly on Boeing’s new capsule.
That feeling when you’re back on the station! 🕺
@NASA_Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are greeted by the @Space_Station crew after @BoeingSpace#Starliner’s first crewed journey from Earth. pic.twitter.com/fewKjIi8u0
— NASA (@NASA) June 6, 2024
The 59-year-old Indian origin astronaut broke into a gig after entering through the hatch into the ISS and hugged the astronauts onboard the space station.
The spacecraft launched on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at 10:52 am June 5 (local time) from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station inThe journey wasn’t without challenges, as new issues arose en route, but NASA astronauts Wilmore and Williams safely arrived aboard the station after overcoming obstacles.
The docking occurred with additional steps taken to secure the connection between Starliner and the station’s port. Mr. Wilmore expressed his delight, stating, “Nice to be attached to the big city in the sky.”
Pressure was equalised between Starliner and the ISS, and the hatch between the two opened at about 3:46 pm ET, with the crew warmly welcomed by their ISS counterparts.
“We had music. Matt was dancing. It was great. What a wonderful place to be back,” Mr. Wilmore remarked, expressing gratitude to those involved in the mission.Williams echoed his sentiments, expressing thanks to family and friends and delight at being part of the ISS family.
“We have another family up here, which is just awesome,” Ms. Williams said. “And we’re just happy as can be to be up in space, one in Starliner on an Atlas V, and then here at the International Space Station. It just doesn’t get much better.”
