Transfer of power at the International Space Station; Sunita Williams is emotional

 

 

California: Sunita Williams handed over the official charge of the station to Russian cosmonaut Alexei Ovchinin before returning to Earth from the International Space Station. It is reported that Sunita handed over the command of the ISS with an emotional speech.

Although she left Earth for just a 10-day mission in June 2024, Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams was a pillar of the International Space Station's operations for 10 months. Before returning to Earth aboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft after completing her long mission, Sunita Williams handed over the command of the space station to Russia's Alexei Ovchinin. This is being described as a crucial moment in the NASA-Roscosmos cooperation in the field of space. Sunita Williams' words at the ceremony of handing over the command of the ISS were filled with emotion. Sunita Williams thanked the control centers, friends, family and trainers who supported her throughout the space mission. Sunita also said that she will miss the other tourists on the station.

Sunita Williams is currently expected to return to Earth on March 16 aboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft. Sunita will be accompanied by NASA's Butch Wilmore, who returned to the ISS in June last year, and other tourists on the station, NASA's Nick Hague, and Roscosmos' Alexander Gorbanov, on the Dragon spacecraft's return journey. However, the return of all four will depend on the departure of SpaceX's Crew-10 mission from Earth. NASA is trying to send the Crew-10 space team on March 13 or 12.