NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore were members of the Crew-9 mission and returned to Earth on Tuesday. They were aboard SpaceX’s Dragon Freedom after a nine-month stay at the International Space Station (ISS). Their extended mission, which was originally planned as a short-term assignment, drew global attention as it turned into a months-long ordeal before their safe return. Now, how much will the two get paid for their overtime?
Overtime Pay
According to reports, Sunita and Butch will receive extra compensation of about $1,148 (Rs 1 lakh) each for their stay in ISS for nine months instead of six. Williams makes an estimated annual salary of Rs 1.26 crore. They are GS-15 federal employees, with annual salaries of $125,133 to $162,672 (Rs 1.08 crore to Rs 1.41 crore). For the extended mission, the salary, prorated to most likely fall between US$93,850 and US$122,004 (approx. Rs 81 lakh to Rs 1.05 crore), is expected to be awarded.
Sunita Williams Indian-connection
The 59-year-old’s father, Deepak Pandya, is of Indian descent, and her roots may be traced back to Jhulasan in the Mehsana area. She also carried a Lord Ganesh idol during her recent space mission.
Sunita is a retired United States Navy officer and astronaut. Williams took part in Expedition 14, worked as a flight engineer on Expeditions 15 and 32, and was the leader of Expedition 33.
