Nasa astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have successfully returned to Earth after an unplanned nine-month extension of their mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The mission, initially scheduled for just eight days, was prolonged due to propulsion issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft they were testing. Their spacecraft, SpaceX’s Dragon Freedom capsule, successfully splashed down off the coast of Florida near Tallahassee at 5:57 pm ET on Tuesday (3:27 am IST, Wednesday).
They both will not receive any special overtime salary for their extended stay in space. According to Cady Coleman, a former NASA astronaut quoted by Washingtonian magazine, astronauts are not paid extra for time spent beyond their planned mission duration. She explained that, while astronauts don’t receive overtime pay, they do get a small daily amount to cover incidental expenses such as toiletries or other small purchases that may arise during their mission. She said, “For me, it was around $4 (Rs 346) a day.”
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As Cady Coleman explained to Washingtonian magazine, during her 159-day mission in 2010-2011, she received approximately $636 (Rs 5500 approx) for incidentals. By applying this same method to Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who were in space for 287 days, they would likely receive about $1,148 (approx 1 lakh) each as compensation for incidentals.
NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are classified under the GS-15 pay grade, which is the highest level in the General Schedule (GS) system for federal employees.
According to media reports, GS-15 employees earn an annual base salary ranging from $125,133 to $162,672 (1.08 crore to 1.40 crore approx) . Considering the nine-month extension of their mission, their prorated salary is estimated to range from $93,850 (81 lakh approx) to $122,004 (1.05 crore). With the inclusion of the incidental allowance, their total earnings for the mission are expected to be between $94,998 (Rs 82 lakh) and $123,152 (1.06 crore). The actual additional compensation for astronauts like Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore could vary based on any adjustments made to the daily allowance by NASA since then.
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In a warm gesture of appreciation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday extended a heartfelt welcome to Sunita Williams and 9 other crew members following their return from the extended space expedition. Williams, aboard NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission, made a successful return to Earth in the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, marking another remarkable milestone in her illustrious career.
