NASA Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are finally returning to Earth, after spending over nine months at the International Space Station (ISS).
After being stranded for over nine months, NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday and are returning to Earth. They went to ISS in June 2024 on an eight-day mission but their stay was extended due to technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. Now, a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft is bringing them back, along with an American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut.
As per the reports, NASA will compensate Williams and Wilmore for their prolonged mission and extended stay. Former NASA astronaut Cady Coleman explained the NASA compensation structure. She said as astronauts are federal employees, all the time they spend in space is also considered as any other normal work assignment on Earth with no extra pay for the long duration.
Astronauts get a daily stipend of $4 per day
Coleman explained NASA gives a very minimal amount as additional payment during such missions and the daily amount given to Astronauts is $4 per day (approximately Rs 347). Meanwhile, they get their normal paychecks for the duration of their missions, and NASA takes care of their subsistence and living costs when they are on the ISS.
How much will NASA pay Sunita Williams as compensation
In a statement to US Based news website, Coleman said in one such mission in 2010-11, when she spent 159 days in space, she earned a total of approximately $636 (over Rs 55,000) as compensation from NASA. As per this calculation, Williams and Wilmore, who have already logged more than 287 days in space, would likely receive around $1,148 (around Rs 1 lakh) each as additional compensation for the longer mission length.
Sunita Williams Salary
Both Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore fall under the GS-15 pay grade, the highest in the General Schedule (GS) system for federal employees. The pay for this grade is between $125,133 and $162,672 per year (approximately Rs 1.08 crore to Rs 1.41 crore). Since their mission was longer, their pay will be prorated based on the duration they were on the ISS.
According to the reports, for their nine-month stay, Williams and Wilmore will earn a prorated salary ranging from $93,850 to $122,004 (approximately Rs 81 lakh to Rs 1.05 crore).