Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Sunita Williams set for historic third space flight

During Expedition 14/15, launched on December 9, 2006, Sunita Williams established a world record for females with four spacewalks totaling 29 hours and 17 minutes.

Sunita Williams set for historic third space flight

Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams is all set for her third voyage into space on Tuesday as she assumes command of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on its maiden crewed test flight.

Departing from Cape Canaveral in Florida, US, the spacecraft will carry Williams, 58, and Butch Wilmore to the International Space Station (ISS), marking a potential breakthrough for Boeing's program, which has grappled with delays in development. The launch is scheduled for 22:34 local time on Monday (03:34 BST on Tuesday).


"We are all here because we are all ready. Our friends and family have heard about it and we've talked about it, and they are happy and proud that we are part of the process to fix it all," shared Williams, as reported by the BBC.

The mission's progression has been delayed by setbacks in spacecraft development over the years. However, the successful execution of this mission would affirm Starliner as the second private entity capable of crew transport to and from the ISS, alongside SpaceX.

"This is history in the making," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson during a March 22 news conference. "We're now in the golden era of space exploration."

Both SpaceX and Boeing have crafted their spacecraft under NASA's Commercial Crew Programme, with the overarching goal of concurrent operations to ensure redundancy in crew transport capabilities.

"Design and development is hard — particularly with a human space vehicle," said Mark Nappi, vice president and Starliner program manager at Boeing, during a recent news briefing.

"There's a number of things that were surprises along the way that we had to overcome. … It certainly made the team very, very strong. I'm very proud of how they've overcome every single issue that we've encountered and gotten us to this point," Nappi said.

Williams, a former Ensign in the United States Navy, earned her commission from the United States Naval Academy in May 1987. Subsequently selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1998, Williams boasts extensive experience, having participated in two prior space missions.

During Expedition 14/15, launched on December 9, 2006, she established a world record for females with four spacewalks totaling 29 hours and 17 minutes. Williams also commanded Expedition 33 and has accrued a cumulative total of 322 days in space.

"I am thrilled to be part of this mission and contribute to the ongoing advancements in space exploration," Williams said.

More For You

ve-day-getty

VE Day 80 street parties, picnics and community get togethers are being encouraged to take place across the country as part of the Great British Food Festival. (Photo: Getty Images)

Public invited to attend VE Day 80 procession and flypast

THE 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day will be marked with a military procession in London on May 5.

The event will include over 1,300 members of the Armed Forces, youth groups, and uniformed services marching from Parliament Square to Buckingham Palace.

Keep ReadingShow less
Knife crimes

Knife-enabled crimes include cases where a blade or sharp instrument was used to injure or threaten, including where the weapon was not actually seen.

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Knife crime in London accounts for a third of national total: ONS

KNIFE-RELATED crime in London made up almost a third of all such offences recorded in England and Wales in 2024, with the Metropolitan Police logging 16,789 incidents, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Thursday.

This amounts to one offence every 30 minutes in the capital and represents 31 per cent of the 54,587 knife-enabled crimes reported across England and Wales last year. The total number marks a two per cent rise from 53,413 offences in 2023.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer and Modi

Starmer and Modi shake hands during a bilateral meeting in the sidelines of the G20 summit at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Brazil, on November 18, 2024.

Getty Images

Starmer calls Modi over Kashmir attack; expresses condolences

PRIME MINISER Keir Starmer spoke to Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday morning following the deadly attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam region that killed 26 people on Tuesday.

According to a readout from 10 Downing Street, Starmer said he was horrified by the devastating terrorist attack and expressed deep condolences on behalf of the British people to those affected, their loved ones, and the people of India. The two leaders agreed to stay in touch.

Keep ReadingShow less
 Post Office Horizon

A Post Office van parked outside the venue for the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry at Aldwych House on January 11, 2024 in London, England. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Post Office spent £600m to keep Horizon despite plans to replace it: Report

THE POST OFFICE has spent more than £600 million of public funds to continue using the Horizon IT system, according to a news report.

Despite deciding over a decade ago to move away from the software, the original 1999 contract with Fujitsu prevented the Post Office from doing so, as it did not own the core software code, a BBC investigation shows.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pahalgam attack: Prayer meet held at Indian mission in London

The prayer meet was led by Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami

Pahalgam attack: Prayer meet held at Indian mission in London

Mahesh Liloriya

A PRAYER meet was held at the Gandhi Hall in the High Commission of India in London on Thursday (24) to pay respects to the victims of the Pahalgam terrorist attack.

Chants of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ rang out at the event which was led by Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami.

Keep ReadingShow less