ISRO chief S Somanath decodes Sunita Williams stranded in space and what next

ISRO chief S Somanath told HT's Kumkum Chadha that the Indian space agency should take care of any scenario during Gaganyaan mission

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief S Somanath on Sunday decoded the challenges faced by Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams, who has been in space for the past six months.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief S Somanath.

In an exclusive conversation with Hindustan Times' Kumkum Chadha, Somanath said,"For someone like Sunita Williams, our concerns are there. Not just Sunita Williams, there are many people up there. There were two astronauts on board."

“We all know that Boeing was developing a new spacecraft for human travel. This is the maiden space flight and these two astronauts (Commander Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams) were a part of the development team. They went as first astronauts on board to test this mission to go to the International Space Station.”

“Before they travelled, there were a lot of teething troubles before this spacecraft was organised for mission. After the docking was successfully completed, the evaluation of the situation on the spacecraft revealed anomalies,” Somanath said.

The ISRO chief further said the anomalies required further studies. “We came to know that helium gas was leaking and some of the spacecraft's thrusters were not functioning properly. Boeing wanted to understand why the situation is not very safe for the return of the mission.”

“Possibly they might have demanded more time for analysis. We know they have been doing a lot of simulation tests in the past several weeks to gain confidence on it,” he said.

Somanath said that reports about simulation tests were all right, adding that the authorising agency in the United States will conduct the evaluation.

“The return has many things to do with the spacecraft itself. Its functioning is more crucial for its return, which includes the control system functioning, the thermal protection system working, and many other systems that have to go all right before it lands safely on the surface. So I think they may be taking a very cautious approach before they even go ahead, because it's a maiden flight of any craft,” Somanath added.

What does being stuck in space mean?

When asked about Sunita Williams being stuck in space, the ISRO chief said,"The stuck in space is, is a terminology that, you people have that devised our and other media is speaking about for us, it is a situation that needs to be decoded to find out whether it is safe to return under this analysis."

“Sunita Williams has extended her stay on the International Space Station, where she has been staying for months together in the past. So she's a veteran or know how to to stay on board ISS for a long time.So I don't find she's stuck, but she's in a situation now where, the period has been extended, which, causes some problem for the company,” he added.

Lessons for India's space missions

ISRO chief S Somanath also spoke on what are the lessons India can learn from Sunita Williams' episode. “We understand the challenges of such missions. When we plan Gaganyaan, we must be sensitive to such situations. I talked about a situation in which the Starliner couldn't have docked with the ISS and they were asked to come back immediately. Think of a situation like that.”

“So such a situation can arise with Gaganyaan. The craft might have technical issues but we are asked to come back immediately. In our designs we should take care of such contingency scenarios,” he added.