NASA astronaut Sunita Williams just turned 59 in space on Thursday. She celebrated her milestone birthday aboard the International Space Station (ISS), which is around 400 kilometres above Earth, for the second time.
Earlier her birthday celebration took place during a 2012 mission.
Since June 6, Sunita Williams along with NASA astronaut Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore has been aboard the ISS as part of the Boeing Crew Flight Test mission. Due to technical issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, their stay has been unexpectedly extended.
From Earth to space, we’re singing #HappyBirthdaySunita for our incredible astronaut @SaregamaGlobal leading the charge. India celebrates YOU today, Sunita Williams! pic.twitter.com/GzbKBpoj4e
— Balram Sharma (@Brsharma_In) September 19, 2024
They are expected to return in February 2025.
On her special day, Williams took up the task of maintaining the space laboratory.
People in Sunita Williams’ ancestral village in India have been praying for her safe return. The astronaut will spend her 59th birthday in space on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/cRrEA57BR0
— BBC News India (@BBCIndia) September 19, 2024
Reportedly, Williams celebrated her birthday by replacing filters in the waste and hygiene compartment. She also performed the essential task with the help of NASA astronaut Don Pettit to ensure safe and healthy living conditions on the ISS.
Williams participated in a conference with Mission Control in Houston, Texas. Williams also engaged in discussions with flight directors in Houston, collaborating with astronauts Wilmore and Frank Rubio to outline mission objectives and upcoming tasks.
Sunita Williams also received birthday wishes from Bollywood stars along with loved ones and family.
Saregama Official shared a heartwarming video on Instagram that featured a compilation video of famous Indian stars singing Happy Birthday in Hindi to the astronaut.
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The video began with filmmaker Karan Johar sending birthday wishes to Williams, followed by singers, Hariharan, Sonu Nigam, Neeti Mohan and Shaan Mukherji.
In 1998, after joining NASA’s astronaut program, Williams launched into space for the first time on December 9, 2006, during the STS-116 mission.
As a flight engineer for Expeditions 14 and 15, Williams set multiple records, including over 29 hours of spacewalks and more than 195 days in orbit.
By piloting Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner’s first crewed test flight, Williams made history by successfully docking with the ISS despite facing technical challenges.
