Sunita “Suni” Williams, an accomplished astronaut with a remarkable record, is preparing for her third mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). She will serve as the pilot of the Crew Flight Test mission aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, marking the first crewed flight for this vehicle.
Born in Euclid, Ohio, Williams was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1998. She holds an impressive record, having spent a total of 322 days in space over two previous missions. She is also renowned for her 50 hours and 40 minutes of cumulative spacewalk time, ranking her second on the list of total spacewalk time by a female astronaut.
Williams’ previous missions include serving as a flight engineer on Expedition 14 and concluding her tour of duty as a member of Expedition 15. During these missions, she established a record for females with four spacewalks totaling 29 hours and 17 minutes. She also spent four months conducting research and exploration aboard the orbiting laboratory.
For her upcoming third mission, Williams and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore will lift off aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. They will dock at the ISS and stay for about a week, testing the end-to-end capabilities of the Starliner system. This mission will pave the way for the certification of Starliner and systems for future crewed missions to the ISS.
