-
I’m going to my father’s home country
-
NASA astronaut expresses admiration for India and hopes to collaborate with ISRO
NASA astronaut Sunita Williams has announced plans to visit India soon, marking a personal and professional milestone as she returns to her father’s homeland. Speaking at NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Post-Flight News Conference, Williams expressed her excitement to connect with the ISRO team and inspire India’s emerging space talent, reported timesofoman.com.
Williams shares her awe of India from space and hopes to work with ISRO on future missions
During the conference, Williams recalled the breathtaking view of India from space, particularly the Himalayas, which she described as a “ripple effect” formed by tectonic plates. “India is amazing… many, many colors. Every time we went over the Himalayas, we got incredible pictures,” she said.
Highlighting her Indian roots — with her father, Deepak Pandya, hailing from Gujarat — Williams said she was eager to return. “For sure, I’m going back to my father’s home country,” she stated, expressing enthusiasm for India’s strides in space exploration, and the upcoming Indian astronauts.
-
Sunita Williams praised India as a vibrant democracy stepping into the global space arena, and said she would love to share her experiences aboard the International Space Station (ISS) with Indian space scientists
-
“I hope we can share our experiences with as many people in India as possible. It’s a great country,” she added.
Sunita also joked about bringing her Crew-9 teammates — Nick Hague, Butch Wilmore, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov — to India, preparing them with spicy food ahead of the trip. “You might stick out a little bit, but we’ll be good,” she laughed.
She described India’s landscape from orbit as a network of lights, with bustling cities fading into quieter regions, framed by the majesty of the Himalayas. “It’s just incredible to look at night, as well as during the day,” she remarked.
Williams and her crew returned to Earth on March 19 after over nine months in space, following delays caused by issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. The mission, initially planned for a week, turned into an extended stay aboard the ISS.
India’s ISRO has expressed keen interest in collaborating with Williams in future missions. In a message following the mission, ISRO stated:
“When Bharat under the leadership of Hon’ble PM Modi ji is working towards making India a developed country, we wish to utilise your expertise in space exploration.”
