World News
Sunita Williams Retires from NASA After 27 Years, 3 Missions and 608 Days in Space
NASA astronaut Sunita Williams has retired after an illustrious 27-year career with the US space agency, effective December 27, 2025. Over the course of three missions aboard the International Space Station (ISS), Williams logged an extraordinary 608 days in space — the second-highest cumulative total by any NASA astronaut.
NASA astronaut Sunita Williams has retired after an illustrious 27-year career with the US space agency, effective December 27, 2025. Over the course of three missions aboard the International Space Station (ISS), Williams logged an extraordinary 608 days in space — the second-highest cumulative total by any NASA astronaut.
“Suni Williams has been a trailblazer in human spaceflight, shaping the future of exploration through her leadership aboard the space station and paving the way for commercial missions to low Earth orbit,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in a statement.
Williams ranks sixth among Americans for the longest single spaceflight, tied with astronaut Butch Wilmore at 286 days during NASA’s Boeing Starliner and SpaceX Crew-9 missions. She also completed nine spacewalks, totalling 62 hours and six minutes — the most by a woman and the fourth-highest cumulative spacewalk time in history. She was also the first person to run a marathon in space.
“Over the course of Suni’s impressive career, she has been a pioneering leader,” said Vanessa Wyche, Director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center. “From her contributions to the space station to her groundbreaking role in the Boeing Starliner test flight, her dedication will inspire future generations of explorers.”
Williams first launched into space aboard space shuttle Discovery on mission STS-116 in December 2006 and returned with STS-117 aboard Atlantis. She served as a flight engineer for Expeditions 14 and 15, completing a then-record four spacewalks.
In 2012, she launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan as part of Expeditions 32 and 33, spending 127 days in orbit. She also served as commander of the ISS during Expedition 33 and conducted three spacewalks to repair critical station systems.
Most recently, Williams flew aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft in June 2024 with Wilmore as part of NASA’s Crew Flight Test. She later joined Expeditions 71 and 72, commanding the space station once again during Expedition 72. She returned to Earth in March 2025 aboard SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission after completing two additional spacewalks.
“Suni is incredibly sharp and an all-around great colleague,” said Scott Tingle, chief of NASA’s Astronaut Office. “She’s inspired so many of us, and she’ll be deeply missed.”
Beyond spaceflight, Williams held several key leadership roles at NASA. She participated in NASA’s NEEMO underwater mission in 2002, later served as deputy chief of the Astronaut Office, and was Director of Operations at Star City, Russia. Most recently, she helped establish helicopter training programs to prepare astronauts for future Moon landings.
A native of Needham, Massachusetts, Williams holds a bachelor’s degree from the US Naval Academy and a master’s degree from the Florida Institute of Technology. A retired US Navy captain, she has logged over 4,000 flight hours across 40 different aircraft.
“Space is my absolute favourite place to be,” Williams said. “It’s been an incredible honor to fly in space three times and serve NASA for 27 amazing years. I hope the foundation we built makes the next steps toward the Moon and Mars just a little easier.”
