Created By: Factly
Co-Published By: LokmatTimes.com
On March 18, 2025, NASA astronauts, including Sunita Williams, returned to Earth after a nine-month mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). During this time, two photos were widely shared on social media, with claims that they depicted the 2025 Prayagraj Maha Kumbh Mela, allegedly captured by Sunita Williams from space. However, doubts about the authenticity of these photos soon emerged. Let’s examine these claims in detail.
A reverse image search conducted by Factly led to the discovery of the first viral photo on the stock photo website Alamy. The description on the website reveals that the photo was taken on January 14, 2021, during the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. The image shows people taking a holy dip in the Ganges, and similar aerial photos from Haridwar can be found online.
Further analysis of the second photo revealed its true origin. A reverse image search pointed to the original image on the website of India’s National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC). The description of this image states that it was captured by EOS-04 (RISAT-1A), a radar imaging satellite by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), on December 22, 2024. This image shows the Prayagraj Sangam, with a zoomed-in view of the River Ganges and temporary pontoon bridges arranged for the 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela.
EOS-04, formerly known as RISAT-1A, is a satellite designed to capture high-quality images regardless of weather conditions, supporting applications such as agriculture, forestry, hydrology, and flood monitoring.
While the viral photos were incorrectly attributed to Sunita Williams, reports from media outlets clarify that Williams’ cousin, Falguni Pandya, mentioned that Williams had shared a photo of the Kumbh Mela taken from the ISS. Additionally, NASA astronaut Donald R. Pettit shared similar photos of the Prayagraj Maha Kumbh Mela from space on January 27, 2025. At the time, Sunita Williams was aboard the ISS with Pettit and other astronauts.
In conclusion, the photos circulating online, claiming to be taken by Sunita Williams from the ISS, are not accurate. They are, in fact, satellite images captured by ISRO’s EOS-04, and the claims linking them to Sunita Williams are false.
This story was originally published by Factly republished by LokmatTimes.com as part of the Shakti Collective.