We caught up with Bonnie Pandya on "TMZ Live" Monday, where the astronaut's mom explained the situation -- which has left her daughter stranded on the International Space Station. Mom says it's just another day at work for the seasoned astronaut.

As Bonnie put it ... she's doing just fine in the face of this harrowing update, since her daughter has been training for situations like this throughout her 20-year career.

Her main priority is that Sunita is safe during her extended stay on the station, where SW is waiting alongside fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore until at least February 2025. The pair was originally slated to be up in the ISS for a week in June.

Watch the video ... Bonnie adds ... "I'm very happy that they decided not to send her down right away. You never know, there were 2 accidents with the shuttle already. I sure as heck wouldn't want that to happen to my daughter ... or anybody else! So, better safe than sorry."

While this would be most mothers' worst nightmare, Bonnie noted it isn't uncommon for return missions to be delayed ... citing her daughter's friend, astronaut Frank Rubio, who also went to space -- and unexpectedly ended up staying a lot longer than originally planned.

Sunita is equally calm about her situation, too ... with Bonnie telling us her daughter "loves going to space."