Sunita Williams: A Trailblazing Astronaut's Journey from Earth to the Stars

Sunita Williams:  A Trailblazing Astronaut's Journey from Earth to the Stars

Sunita Williams (born 19 September 1965; Euclid, Ohio) is the second woman of Indian origin to go to space through the US space agency NASA. She hails from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. She has set a world record of staying in space for 127 days as a female astronaut. Her father Deepak Pandya was a doctor in America. Who died in 2020.

Sunita William: Career

In June 1998, she was selected in the US space agency NASA and her training began. Sunita is the second woman of Indian origin who went on a US space mission. Sunita Williams also visited India in September/October 2007. Sunita, who has been associated with NASA since June 1998, has so far flown 2770 flights in a total of 30 different spacecraft. Sunita is also associated with organizations like the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, Society of Flight Test Engineers and the American Helicopter Association.

Sunita William: Honours and Awards

He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in the field of Science and Engineering by the Government of India in 2008. Apart from this, he has been awarded many honours like Navy Commendation Medal (2), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal.

Sunita Williams: Biography, Age, Husband, Family, Awards, Mission, & More

Personal Information
Full Name	Sunita Lyn Pandya Williams
Date of Birth	September 19, 1965
Age	59 years (as of 2024)
Birth Place	Euclid, Ohio, U.S.
Other Names	Sonika
Nationality	American
Hometown	Needham, Massachusetts, U.S.
Father	Deepak Pandya
Mother	Bonnie Pandya
Spouse	Michael J. Williams
Education
Bachelor of Science	United States Naval Academy
Master of Science	Florida Institute of Technology
Space Career
NASA Astronaut Group	Class of 1998
Rank	Captain, U.S. Navy (Retired)
Time in Space	547 days, 22 hours, 5 minutes
Total EVAs	8
Total EVA Time	56 hours, 40 minutes
Missions	STS-116/117 (Expedition 14/15)Soyuz TMA-05M (Expedition 32/33) Boeing Crew Flight Test/SpaceX Crew-9 (Expedition 71/72/73)
Notable Achievements
Set records for most spacewalks by a woman (seven) and most spacewalk time for a woman (50 hours, 40 minutes) during her initial missions. Served as commander of the International Space Station during Expedition 33 in 2012. Participated in the first crewed flight of Boeing's Starliner capsule in June 2024. Included in the BBC's 100 Women list in December 2024.
Current Status
As of January 2025, Sunita Williams is aboard the International Space Station, with her return to Earth delayed until March 2025 due to issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft.