New Delhi: Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams and her space mission partner Butch Wilmore will address the public for the first time following the safe return of the Boeing's troubled Starliner spacecraft on September 6.

The Earth-to-space call is slated for Friday, September 13, when the duo will participate in a news conference from the International Space Station (ISS) where they are stuck for the over three months now. The duo are expected to address the public at around 11.45 pm (IST).

According to NASA, the pair will participate in a news conference aboard the International Space Station in low Earth orbit.

Where to Watch:

"Media are invited to hear from NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams during an Earth to space call at 2:15 p.m. EDT, Friday, Sept. 13. The pair will participate in a news conference aboard the International Space Station in low Earth orbit," NASA said in a press release. 

The media briefing will be streamed on NASA+, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are expected to share their experiences and insights from their mission during the event. 

8-Day Stay Extended for 8 Months

The two NASA astronauts had launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on June 5 for its first crewed flight and arrived at the space station on June 6. However, their space expedition took a dramatic turn after issues cropped up with their Streamliner aircraft, leading to extension of their 8-day stay. Citing concerns over duo's safe return, the American space agency recently announced that the astronauts will return to Earth no earlier that February, 2025.

Following NASA's decision to bring back Starliner uncrewed, the duo will remain on the space station as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew till their return aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft with two other crew members on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission.

Owing to the issues that cropped up with the Starliner, the NASA postponed the return journey of the duo till February 2025 but the American space agency has some plans ready in case the duo needs to leave the ISS in an emergency.

Reports citing NASA said "The International Space Station crew and ground teams have completed the configuration of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft supporting Crew-8 to now serve as the emergency return spacecraft for Butch and Suni, if needed, until NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission arrives following its launch no earlier than Tuesday, Sept. 24.”

NASA Delayed Return Citing Kalpana Chawla's Death 

The decision to delay the return of the duo was made based on experiences gained from past missions, especially the Columbia mission where the faulty Columbia spacecraft broke apart, claiming the lives of all seven crew members onboard including, Indian-origin Kalpana Chawla, during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.

NASA noted, “During Starliner’s flight to the space station, some of the spacecraft’s thrusters did not perform as expected and several leaks in Starliner’s helium system were observed. Since then, NASA and Boeing have taken additional time to learn more about the spacecraft through in-flight and ground testing and extensive data analysis before making the best, safest decision on how and when to return the crew home. This analysis included processes and organizations established as a result of the space shuttle Columbia accident.”

Are Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore Alone in Space?

Sharing more details about their missions on ISS, NASA has revealed that Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are accompanied by many others in the outer world. Notably, they both have now integrated with the Expedition 71 crew, which consists of NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Tracy C. Dyson, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Alexander Grebenkin.