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ISS Crew Relief: Wilmore and Williams Set to Return

17 March 20251 min read
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGYISS Crew Relief:Wilmore andWilliams Set toReturn17 March 2025safalsetu.com

Why in the news

A fresh crew reached the ISS so two long-stranded astronauts could return.

Key facts

  • New crew: McClain and Ayers (NASA military pilots), Onishi (Japan) and Peskov (Russia), both former airline pilots.
  • Wilmore and Williams, Starliner test pilots, were meant for a week but stayed nine months; they will brief the newcomers and leave with a SpaceX team, landing off Florida.
  • Cause: helium leaks and thruster failures in Boeing’s Starliner, which was meant to rival SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.

About the ISS

  • Built and run in low Earth orbit by NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA and CSA.

India’s station

  • Bharatiya Antariksha Station under ISRO: modular, about 52 tonnes, 400 km altitude.
  • First module on LVM3 in 2028; the rest by 2035 on the Next Generation Launch Vehicle, Soorya.

Exam angle

  • ISS partners; Bharatiya Antariksha Station timeline 2028-2035.

Test yourself

1. Which space agency is NOT among the five partners that assemble and maintain the ISS?

The ISS partners are NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA and CSA.

2. By which year is India's Bharatiya Antariksha Station planned to be fully launched?

The first module is planned for 2028 and remaining components by 2035.

3. What caused Wilmore and Williams' extended stay on the ISS?

Starliner suffered helium leaks and thruster failures, stretching a week-long mission to nine months.

This topic is part of Daily Current Affairs 16 & 17 March 2025 (23 topics).

All topics of the dayDay quizMarch 2025

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