Sunita Williams, 59, of Indian descent, has achieved a rare feat by traveling to space for the third time.
She and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore successfully reached the International Space Station (ISS) aboard the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, which launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The spacecraft docked with the ISS 26 hours after launch, despite a brief delay due to a helium leak in the guidance-control thrusters.
Upon arrival, Williams and Wilmore were warmly welcomed by the seven astronauts already aboard the ISS, following the tradition of ringing the bell.
A video of Williams dancing joyfully was shared by Boeing Space on its X account and quickly went viral. Williams expressed that everyone on the ISS feels like family to her, and she celebrated their reunion with a dance.
This mission marks the first manned trip for the Boeing Starliner. Williams and Wilmore will spend a week on the ISS, having tested the spacecraft's control systems before docking.
Despite the helium leakage issue, Boeing assured that the astronauts had sufficient helium reserves and were not at risk.
Williams, who was selected as a NASA astronaut in 1998, previously visited the ISS in 2006 and 2012, spending a total of 322 days in space and conducting spacewalks for 50 hours and 40 minutes.
She is also a marathon runner and once ran a marathon while on the ISS. On a previous mission, she carried the Bhagavad Gita with her and revealed in an interview that she brought an idol of Ganesha on this trip.
Docking confirmed!@BoeingSpace's #Starliner docked to the forward-facing port of the @Space_Station's Harmony module at 1:34pm ET (1734 UTC). @NASA_Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will soon make their way into the orbital laboratory, where they'll spend about a week. pic.twitter.com/BtcXA4Vq4t
— NASA (@NASA) June 6, 2024