Why Sunita Williams Named Starliner Spacecraft 'Calypso' For Space Mission

Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams is all set to fly into space for a third time on Tuesday as the pilot aboard the Starliner spacecraft of Boeing in its first crewed test flight. The Starliner will blast off for the International Space Station (ISS) from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The scheduled lift-off is set for 10:34 PM (local time) on Monday (8:04 AM IST on Tuesday). Besides the 58-year-old Williams, the spacecraft will carry Butch Wilmore -- a navy test pilot who has flown into space twice -- to the ISS. This shall mark what could be a long-awaited and momentous victory for the beleaguered Boeing programme.

"When I reach the International Space Station, it will be like going back home," Ms Williams said while training at the launch pad.

Ms Williams, who will serve as the mission pilot, was earlier provided the opportunity to name the spacecraft she would fly in. And, she has named the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft "Calypso".

Why this name?

Williams has named the Starliner spacecraft “Calypso” for her "love of the ocean," NASA said.

Why the name “Calypso”?@Astro_Suni named the #Starliner spacecraft “Calypso” for her love of the ocean and in reference to the ship of famed explorer Jacques Cousteau, who sailed across the world on his own ship named bearing the same name.

Learn more: https://t.co/VxlIW2OSjO pic.twitter.com/6zJaYJXP5V

— NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) May 5, 2024

Further, to pay tribute to the explorer Jacques Cousteau, she has named it after the famous ship on which the French oceanographer and legendary filmmaker explored the oceans around the world. 

"Williams named the crew capsule Calypso in 2019 to pay tribute to the explorer Jacques Cousteau, who sailed across the world on his ship bearing the same name. Cousteau's goal was to learn about the ocean and teach others about the wonders of the sea. Williams believes Starliner can do the same for space," read a statement from the US space agency.

CST-100 Starliner spacecraft

The Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 Starliner spacecraft, according to Boeing, was designed to accommodate seven passengers, or a mix of crew and cargo, for missions to low-Earth orbit, PTI reported.

It has had many hiccups and has been in the making for more than a decade.

Mark Nappi, vice president and Starliner programme manager at Boeing, recently said that design and development is hard -- particularly with a human space vehicle.

This will be the company's second flight to the ISS and third Starliner flight test overall.

Sunita Williams's third space mission

Ms Williams, who was born to Indian-American neuroanatomist Deepak Pandya and Ursuline Bonnie (Zalokar) Pandya in Euclid, Ohio, was selected as an astronaut by the US space agency NASA in 1998. So far, she is a veteran of two space missions -- Expeditions 14/15 and 32/33.

She served as a flight engineer on Expedition 32 and then commander of Expedition 33. 

On her maiden spaceflight, she was launched with the crew of STS-116 on December 9, 2006. Later on, for the Expedition 32/33, Williams was launched from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome, along with Russian Soyuz commander Yuri Malenchenko and Flight Engineer Akihiko Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, on July 14, 2012. After spending 127 days in space, she landed in Kazakhstan on November 18, 2012.

According to NASA, Ms Williams has spent a cumulative total of 322 days in space.