Astronaut Sunita Williams sends Deepavali greetings from Space Station

One of the most celebrated woman astronauts, Sunita Williams, has been stationed at the International Space Station (ISS) for over five months now and the Indian-origin American astronaut extended wishes for Deepavali to those in the White House and also those around the world.

From 260 miles above the earth on the ISS, Sunita Williams extended Diwali greetings and thanked US President Joe Biden for recognising the many contributions of the Indian community.

Williams' greetings from the International Space Station (ISS) were played as a video message when President Biden on Monday hosted a Diwali celebration at the White House. The event was attended by more than 600 eminent Indian Americans, including Congressmen, officials, and corporate executives, from across the country.

"This year, I have the unique opportunity to celebrate Diwali from 260 miles above the Earth on the ISS. On this day, I specifically think about my father, who immigrated to the US from India. He kept and shared his cultural roots by teaching us about Diwali and other Indian festivals, the NASA astronaut said.

“Diwali is a time of joy as goodness in the world prevails. I am so thankful to have grown up in a multicultural household where our parents encouraged us to seek opportunities and reach for the stars, she said in the one-minute long video message and thanked the president and the vice president for celebrating Diwali with our community today, and for recognising the many contributions of our community,” she said in the message.

Nick-named Suni in America, her father, Deepak Pandya, was an Indian-American neuroanatomist, who hailed from Mehsana district in Gujarat. Meanwhile, her mother, Ursuline Bonnie Pandya, was of Slovenian descent.

A former record holder for most spacewalks by a woman (seven) and most spacewalk time for a woman (50 hours, 40 minutes). Williams returned to the ISS on the Boeing Crew Flight Test, the first crewed mission of the Boeing Starliner. As her return to the earth has been delayed until February 2025, Williams and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore will be carrying various experiments and maintenance manoeuvrers aboard the space station.