Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams to fly in space once again

Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams is once again ready to fly into space on May 6 in a brand-new spacecraft, the Boeing Starliner. The liftoff is scheduled to take place at 8:04 am IST from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The 58-year-old will join fellow NASA astronaut Barry Wilmore, 61, on the Crew Flight Test mission.

When seen from India, the launch will be conducted in the early hours of May 7.

"We feel very safe and very comfortable when this spacecraft flies. This is where we're supposed to be," said Williams during a press conference at Nasa's Kennedy Space Center.

During this 10-day mission, the duo will test Starliner’s capabilities, paving the way for the spacecraft to begin operational crew flights to the space station.

Nasa Administrator Bill Nelson said, “This is a major milestone for the Commercial Crew Program and for Nasa, as we work to restore America's human spaceflight capabilities.”