US Elections 2024: Here's How Astronaut Sunita Williams Cast Her Vote From Space; Explained

This is how Sunita Williams and her fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore are planning to vote from space. Read on to learn the details.

By Tejas Mundhada

Published on Nov 06, 2024 | 01:22 PM IST | 6.2K

Sunita Williams (Getty)

With the world eagerly awaiting the results of the US presidential elections, NASA has brought in some big and intriguing news. The astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are planning to cast their vote while orbiting the Earth, being in space.

If you are interested in knowing how voting from space works, here's a bit of information.

It was back in the year 1997 when NASA allowed astronauts to vote from space, following the passing of a bill in the Texas Legislature. This was also the time when NASA astronaut David Wolf became the first American to vote from space.

For those unversed, Wolf had voted from the Mir Space Station.

According to reports, NASA has allowed this procedure of voting from space with the help of a Federal Postcard Application, or FPCA.

Per the website of the National Air and Space Museum, “Before Election Day, an encrypted electronic ballot is uplinked to the astronauts by JSC’s Mission Control.”

The website also states that through a set of unique credentials that are sent to the astronauts by e-mail, they can access their ballots, cast their votes, and downlink them back down to Earth.

Their votes are directly sent to the county clerk’s office.

Talking to the media for the first time after her launch in space, Williams stated that the experience of voting from space is "pretty cool." Calling it a “very important duty,” Williams mentioned that she is looking forward to voting from space.

Sunita Williams also mentioned that she is missing her family and two dogs while being in space, onboard the International Space Station.

While stating that it might be tough for her friends and family as well, Williams added that they surely understand, also mentioning “everyone is cheering for us to get back.”

Adding to her words, Butch Wilmore stated that he had already set down his “request for a ballot today.”

Both Sunita Williams and Butch Willmore were launched into space with the help of a Boeing Starliner spacecraft on June 5 this year. This was the first time that a Starliner Boeing spaceflight had carried the astronauts into space.

The astronauts were left back in space, as NASA aimed to ensure the safety of the astronauts, following a few thruster failures and helium leak incidents.

With the Starliner coming back to Earth on September 6, the astronauts will be returning on a SpaceX craft in February 2025.

ALSO READ: ‘A Horrible Lie’: Julian Casablancas Gets Rebellious Refusing To Vote In Ongoing US Elections