NASA astronaut Sunita Williams retired from the agency after 27 years of service. Her retirement is effective Dec. 27, 2025. Williams completed three missions aboard the International Space Station, setting numerous human spaceflight records throughout her career.
Williams logged 608 days in space — second on the list of cumulative time in space by a NASA astronaut. She ranks sixth on the list of longest single spaceflight by an American, tied with NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, both logging 286 days during NASA's Boeing Starliner and SpaceX Crew-9 missions. Williams also completed nine spacewalks, totalling 62 hours and 6 minutes, ranking as the most spacewalk time by a woman and fourth-most on the all-time cumulative spacewalk duration list. She was also the first person to run a marathon in space, said the space agency in a statement.
Williams first flew in December 2006 aboard space shuttle Discovery on STS-116, returning in 2007 on STS-117 aboard Atlantis. She served as a flight engineer for Expeditions 14 and 15 and carried out four spacewalks during that stint, setting a then-record for EVAs in a single mission.
In 2012, she launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a 127-day stay as part of Expeditions 32 and 33, taking command of the station during Expedition 33. NASA said her spacewalk work on that mission included repairs to a radiator leak and replacement of hardware that helps route electricity from the station's solar arrays.
Her third and final spaceflight became one of the most closely watched US mission in years. Williams and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore lifted off aboard Starliner in June 2024 for what was expected to be a short test flight, but issues with the spacecraft extended their time on orbit for months. NASA ultimately brought them home in March 2025 aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon as part of Crew-9, after folding them into the station's regular crew rotation.
Beyond her spaceflight experience, Williams held numerous roles throughout her NASA career. In 2002, she served as a NEEMO (NASA Extreme Environments Mission Operations) crew member, spending nine days living and working in an underwater habitat. After her first flight, she served as deputy chief of NASA's Astronaut Office. She later was the director of Operations in Star City, Russia, following her second mission to the space station. Most recently, she helped establish a helicopter training platform to prepare astronauts for future Moon landings, NASA said in a statement.
Williams, a Massachusetts native, holds a bachelor's degree in physical science from the United States Naval Academy and a master's degree in engineering management from Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida. A retired U.S. Navy captain, Williams is an accomplished helicopter and fixed-wing pilot, having logged more than 4,000 flight hours in 40 different aircraft.
“Anyone who knows me knows that space is my absolute favourite place to be,” said Williams. In a statement included in NASA's release, Williams said space had been her “absolute favourite place to be,” calling her career “an incredible honour” and expressing excitement to watch the agency's next steps beyond low Earth orbit.
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