Sunita Williams' salary for 287 days in space — only Rs 347 a day?

Sunita Williams’ Salary for 287 Days in Space – NASA Pays Just Rs 347 Per Day!

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams has spent an unexpected 287 days in space, but her paycheck for this prolonged mission might leave many in disbelief. Despite nearly nine months aboard the International Space Station (ISS), her extra compensation amounts to just Rs 347 per day—a sum that would not even cover a meal at a decent restaurant on Earth!

Williams, along with fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore, initially embarked on an eight-day mission as part of NASA’s Boeing Starliner test flight. However, technical issues with the spacecraft forced them to stay on the ISS for nearly a year. But here’s the catch—NASA does not pay astronauts overtime, no matter how long their mission gets extended.

As federal employees under the GS-15 pay grade, Williams and Wilmore earn a base salary between $125,133 and $162,672 (approx. Rs 1.08 crore to Rs 1.41 crore per year). Since their mission stretched to nine months, their prorated salary is estimated between $93,850 and $122,004 (around Rs 81 lakh to Rs 1.05 crore).

However, the only extra they receive for their additional time in space is a daily stipend of $4 (Rs 347) for incidentals. That means for 287 days in orbit, Williams will get just $1,148 (around Rs 1 lakh) in additional pay—barely enough to cover a luxurious dinner after her return!

After months of uncertainty, NASA has now cleared Williams and Wilmore for their long-awaited return to Earth. Their ride back would not be the troubled Boeing Starliner but instead a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, scheduled to depart no earlier than March 19.

In preparation for their return, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission has already arrived at the ISS, bringing astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA’s Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov to take over station operations.