Sunita Williams celebrates birthday in space. NASA astronaut's family, salary and education

The name Sunita Williams needs no introduction. The Indian-origin astronaut has been an inspiration to millions for her remarkable accomplishments in the field of space exploration. On her 59th birthday, music label Saregama, in collaboration with the creative agency The Womb, gathered celebrities such as Karan Johar, Sonu Nigam, Shaan, Hariharan, and Neeti Mohan to extend birthday wishes to Williams.

At the opening of the video, Johar could be seen saying, “Meri taraf se a very special birthday wish to someone very very special, joh humse hai door, bohat bohat door (A very special birthday wish from me to someone very very special, who is far from us, very very far.” Legendary singer Hariharan then says, “On behalf of the entire country, we celebrate you and the amazing journey you are on.”

The video then transitions to Sonu Nigam, Shaan, Neeti Mohan, and Hariharan performing the iconic song ‘Baar Baar Din Yeh Aaye,’ originally featured in the 1967 film ‘Farz’. Karan Johar reappears on screen and concludes with, "Happy birthday to you from all of us."


For those who don't know, Sunita Williams and her co-astronaut Butch Wilmore are presently stuck on the International Space Station (ISS) due to technical issues with Boeing's Starliner that caused helium leaks and thruster faults to postpone their return.

Their mission, which was originally supposed to last eight days, has been extended until at least February 2025. Because the Starliner is considered risky for re-entry, NASA has determined that the astronauts would return to Earth on a SpaceX Falcon 9 spacecraft. Nick Hague, the commander of the SpaceX Crew-9 mission, and Aleksandr Gorbunov, a cosmonaut from Roscosmos, are in quarantine awaiting the rescue operation.

All About Sunita Williams

Sunita Williams was born on September 19, 1965, in Euclid, Ohio. Her father, Deepak Pandya, was a neuroanatomist originally from the Mehsana district in Gujarat, India, while her mother, Ursuline Bonnie Pandya (née Zalokar), was of Slovenian-American descent.

Williams graduated from Needham High School in 1983. She then earned a Bachelor of Science in Physical Science from the United States Naval Academy in 1987, followed by a Master of Science in Engineering Management from the Florida Institute of Technology in 1995.

Her Journey To Space Begins

Her first journey into space commenced on December 9, 2006. During Expedition 14/15, which lasted from December 9, 2006, to June 22, 2007, Sunita Williams served as a flight engineer. During this mission, she made history by performing four spacewalks, setting a world record for women with a total of 29 hours and 17 minutes spent outside the spacecraft.

Her second space mission began on July 14, 2012, as part of Expedition 32/33, which lasted until November 18, 2012. Williams spent four months conducting research and exploration aboard the orbiting laboratory. After 127 days in space, she returned to Earth, touching down in Kazakhstan on November 18, 2012.

On June 5, 2024, Sunita Williams launched on a mission aboard the Boeing Starliner. Initially scheduled for one week, the mission was extended due to helium leaks in the Starliner, which has since remained docked at the International Space Station.

Tentative Salary

As per official NASA reports, astronauts typically earn an annual salary of around $152,258.00.

Personal Life

Sunita Williams is married to Michael J. Williams, a federal marshal in Texas for over two decades, and they reside in Houston, Texas.