When Mukesh Ambani met Sunita Williams waiting for an Uber
Anand Mahindra welcomed Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams after her return from space. She landed safely aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft as part of NASA’s Crew-9 mission. Williams and her colleague Butch Wilmore spent nine months at the International Space Station due to a Boeing spacecraft glitch.
Mahindra, 69, recalled meeting Williams nearly two years ago in Washington, DC. He had visited the US for the India-US Hi-Tech Handshake event during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip. He shared a throwback photo featuring himself, billionaire Mukesh Ambani, and entrepreneur Vrinda Kapoor with Williams.
“When the SpaceX rescue mission launched, I remembered this chance encounter with @Astro_Suni in Washington. It’s a relief to see her and her colleagues back on Earth,” Mahindra wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “She is courage personified. Swagatam, Sunita.”
Mukesh Ambani, Anand Mahindra, and Vrinda Kapoor attended a state dinner in Washington, DC, in June 2023. US President Joe Biden hosted the event in honor of PM Modi. After the dinner, they joined the India-US Hi-Tech Handshake event at the White House. Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Apple CEO Tim Cook were also present.
After the high-profile event, Mahindra, Ambani, and Kapoor missed their shuttle bus. They were speaking with the US Secretary of Commerce when they realized the group had left. Stranded, they tried to book an Uber. That’s when they ran into Sunita Williams.
Mahindra had shared the moment in a 2023 post, calling it a “Washington moment.” He wrote, “Mukesh Ambani, Vrinda Kapoor, and I were deep in conversation and missed our shuttle. We tried calling an Uber when we met NASA astronaut Sunita Williams @Astro_Suni.”
The unexpected encounter led to a selfie. Jokingly, Mahindra asked if they could hitch a ride on her space shuttle instead of an Uber.
