NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, who completed a 10-day space mission that extended to nine-and-a-half months aboard the International Space Station (ISS), has officially retired after a distinguished career spanning 27 years. This retirement was announced by NASA on Tuesday and took effect shortly after last Christmas, specifically on December 27, 2025.
“Suni Williams has been a pioneer in human spaceflight, influencing the future of exploration through her leadership on the space station and facilitating the development of commercial missions to low Earth orbit,” stated NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.
“Her contributions to science and technology have established a strong foundation for the Artemis missions to the Moon and the journey toward Mars, and her remarkable accomplishments will continue to motivate future generations to aspire to great heights and challenge the limits of what is achievable. Congratulations on your well-earned retirement, and thank you for your dedication to NASA and our country.”
608 Days In Space
Indian-origin astronaut Williams was chosen by NASA in 1998 and has accumulated 608 days in space across her three missions. This duration ranks second among NASA astronauts for total time spent in space. She is positioned sixth on the list of the longest individual spaceflights by an American, sharing this rank with NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, as both have logged 286 days during NASA’s Boeing Starliner and SpaceX Crew-9 missions.
Williams has undertaken nine spacewalks, amounting to 62 hours and 6 minutes, which is the highest for any female astronaut and places her fourth on NASA’s all-time list. Additionally, she was the first individual to complete a marathon in space.
3 Space Missions Over 27 Years
The 60-year-old NASA astronaut embarked on her inaugural space flight on December 9, 2006, aboard the space shuttle Discovery as part of the STS-116 crew. During her time with Expedition 14/15, Williams acted as a flight engineer and achieved a then-world record by completing four spacewalks, which totalled 29 hours and 17 minutes.
The second mission occurred six years later, on July 14, 2012, when Williams launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a 127-day mission as a member of Expedition 32/33. During this mission, Williams conducted three spacewalks to address an ammonia leak on a station radiator and to replace a component that transmits power from the station’s solar arrays to its systems.
The third mission, which became the longest, involved Williams and Wilmore launching aboard the Starliner spacecraft in June 2024 as part of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test mission. Following this, they joined Expedition 71/72 and returned to Earth in March 2025.
Williams’ Indian Background
Sunita Williams’s father, a neuroanatomist from Jhulasan in the Mehsana District of Gujarat, migrated to the United States and married Bonnie Pandya, who is of Slovenian descent. William was born in Euclid, Ohio, and called as Needham, Massachusetts, as her hometown. Williams and her partner, Michael, find joy in spending time with their dogs, engaging in workouts, renovating houses, repairing cars and aeroplanes, as well as hiking and camping.
Her Statement
“Anyone who knows me is aware that space is my utmost preferred location,” stated Williams. “It has been a tremendous privilege to have been part of the Astronaut Office and to have had the chance to travel to space on three occasions. My remarkable 27-year tenure at NASA is largely attributed to the immense love and support I have received from my colleagues.
The International Space Station, along with its people, engineering, and scientific endeavours, is genuinely inspiring and has facilitated the forthcoming explorations to the Moon and Mars. I hope that the groundwork we established has eased these ambitious pursuits. I am incredibly enthusiastic for NASA and its partner organisations as we embark on these new ventures, and I eagerly anticipate witnessing the agency make history,” she was quoted by NASA.
