NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and
Butch Wilmore
have been stationed at the International Space Station (ISS) since June of this year. The duo is set to participate in a live press conference from space on September 13 at 11:45 pm IST. According to NASA, the astronauts will join a news conference directly from the ISS, which is orbiting in low Earth orbit, offering the public a rare opportunity to hear about their experiences during the extended mission.
How to watch live streaming with Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore
The Earth-to-space call is scheduled for Friday, September 13, during a news conference from the International Space Station (ISS), where the pair have been stationed for over three months.
The address is expected to take place at approximately 11:45 pm IST.
NASA announced that the duo would participate in a news conference from the ISS, located in low Earth orbit. The media event will be streamed live on NASA+, the NASA app, and the agency’s official website. Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are expected to share insights and experiences from their extended mission.
NASA invited the media to join the Earth-to-space call at 2:15 p.m. EDT on Friday, September 13. The conference will be live-streamed, offering a unique opportunity for the public to hear directly from the astronauts.
Mission extended from 8 days to 8 months
Williams and Wilmore launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on June 5 for its first crewed flight, reaching the ISS on June 6. However, their stay was unexpectedly extended due to issues with the Starliner, stretching their original 8-day mission to several months. NASA recently confirmed the astronauts’ return will be delayed until February 2025, citing safety concerns.
Instead of returning on Starliner, the astronauts will remain on the ISS as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew. They are now scheduled to return aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft during NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission.
NASA implements emergency return plan amid Starliner issues, drawing lessons from Columbia tragedy
In response to the Starliner issues, NASA configured the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft supporting Crew-8 to serve as an emergency return vehicle for Williams and Wilmore if necessary. This arrangement will be in place until the launch of NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 mission, no earlier than September 24. NASA’s decision to delay their return was informed by lessons learned from the Columbia mission tragedy, where the spacecraft disintegrated during re-entry, resulting in the death of all seven astronauts, including Indian-origin astronaut Kalpana Chawla. NASA and Boeing have since conducted extensive testing and data analysis on the Starliner to ensure the safest possible return for the astronauts.
Williams and Wilmore are not alone on the ISS. They are part of the Expedition 71 crew, which includes NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, Jeanette Epps, Tracy C. Dyson, and Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Alexander Grebenkin.
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