Washington sources reported that Indian origin astronaut Sunita Williams is now helping privately-held companies like Space X and Boeing to develop their new spacecraft systems, which will eventually provide round-trip crew transportation services to the International Space Station (ISS). Meanwhile after completing two missions to the orbiting laboratory, she is continuing her career in space on Earth as a member of NASA’s Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap).
According to sources she is among the four astronauts who were selected by NASA in 2015 to train and prepare for commercial space flights that will return American launches to US soil and further open up low-Earth orbit transportation to the private sector.
Moreover since the discontinuation of NASA’s Space Shuttle program in
2011, US astronauts have had to rely on Russian shuttles to get into orbit.
Further the goal of the commercial crew program is safe, reliable and
cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station from
the US through a public private approach. Accordingly NASA, Boeing and SpaceX
have significant testing underway, which will ultimately lead to test missions
when the systems are ready and meet safety requirements.
