Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams has been appointed as the Commander of the International Space Station (ISS) by NASA. This marks the second time in 12 years that she has taken on this prestigious role.
Williams officially took command from Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko during a ceremony held on the ISS. Kononenko recently completed a year-long mission and returned to Earth with fellow astronauts Tracy C. Dyson and Nikolai Chub
As ISS Commander, Sunita's primary responsibility will be ensuring the safety and operational efficiency of the space station while leading various scientific and technical operations
During the formal handover, Sunita expressed her gratitude for the opportunity and mentioned how the mission has taught them all valuable lessons. She acknowledged the ISS crew’s support, noting how they treated her and her colleague, Butch, like family
Sunita will be working on advancing scientific knowledge and testing new technologies in the microgravity environment, which will pave the way for future human and robotic exploration missions