Can ISRO rescue Sunita Williams from space? Chief S Somanath's response

ISRO chief S Somnath said, "......The only possibilities are either from Russia or the US. US has the Crew dragon vehicle which can go. Russia has a Soyuz. Either of these can go and save them."

ISRO Chairman S Somanath commented on the situation involving NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who have been stranded in space for 78 days due to issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. The spacecraft is currently unable to return them due to previous leak concerns and ongoing evaluations of its reliability for a safe re-entry. On being asked during a recent podcast episode of BeerBiceps, whether ISRO can rescue the astronauts stranded in space, Somanath said the space agency currently does not have the necessary spacecraft to perform a rescue mission.

Somanath further stated that the only options available are from Russia or the US. He said the US has the Crew Dragon spacecraft, and Russia has the Soyuz, and either of these could potentially handle the rescue.

Somanath said, "Right now, we can't do anything. Because, we don't have a spacecraft which can go there and save her. It is not possible. The only possibilities are either from Russia or the US. US has the Crew dragon vehicle which can go. Russia has a Soyuz. Either of these can go and save them."

Somanath further explained that despite some issues with the Boeing Starliner, which faced several anomalies and delays before launch, it is not deemed a viable option for the immediate return of astronauts. He noted that Boeing is conducting extensive tests to address these problems but suggested that the spacecraft might not be ready for a safe return mission.

“The Boeing Starliner showed some anomaly, but they don’t want to take a risk. It appears to me that they’ve had issues in the past, even before the launch. The launch was postponed many times, and they took a chance and launched it. But they don’t want to take the risk in returning her,” Somanath explained. “That's why they are keeping them there. Boing is doing hundreds of tests to prove they are good. But, the results say it is not happening,” he added.

Somanath suggested that the astronauts might be brought back using the Crew Dragon spacecraft. He noted that human spaceflight requires careful planning and scheduling, and it’s possible they are waiting for these arrangements to be finalized. "May be, they will go with Crew Dragon and bring them back. Human spaceflight can't happen just like that. Before that they have to plan it and then schedule it. Possibly, they are waiting for this," he said.

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, with astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, launched on June 5 aboard a ULA Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The mission was initially planned for a one-week duration, but the return was delayed due to leak issues discovered during launch and ongoing evaluations by Starliner ground teams. These teams have been working to analyze results from recent hot-fire tests, finalise the spacecraft's flight rationale, and ensure system reliability before Starliner can return to Earth.

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And, as NASA and Boeing engineers are continuing to analyze data to determine the next steps for Starliner’s return from the International Space Statio, a decision on whether to bring Starliner back to Earth with the astronauts is expected on August 24.