NASA astronaut Sunita Williams has retired from the US space agency, bringing the curtain down on a distinguished 27-year career marked by three missions to the International Space Station (ISS), leadership roles in orbit and multiple human spaceflight records.
“After 27 years of service, NASA astronaut Suni Williams retired from the agency, effective Dec. 27, 2025. Williams completed three missions aboard the International Space Station, setting numerous human spaceflight records throughout her career,” NASA said in a statement issued on January 20.
Williams, 60, is currently visiting India and on Tuesday participated in an interactive session titled ‘Eyes on the Stars, Feet on the Ground’ at the American Center in New Delhi. Posters at the venue described her as ‘NASA Astronaut, Ret. and US Navy Captain, Ret.’
NASA hails a ‘trailblazer’
Praising her contributions, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said, “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.”
“Her work advancing science and technology has laid the foundation for Artemis missions to the Moon and advancing toward Mars, and her extraordinary achievements will continue to inspire generations to dream big and push the boundaries of what’s possible. Congratulations on your well-deserved retirement, and thank you for your service to NASA and our nation.”
Career marked by records and resilience
Over her career, Williams logged 608 days in space, the second-highest cumulative time by a NASA astronaut. She ranks sixth among Americans for the longest single spaceflight, tied with astronaut Butch Wilmore, with both spending 286 days in orbit during NASA’s Boeing Starliner and SpaceX Crew-9 missions.
She completed nine spacewalks totalling 62 hours and 6 minutes, the most by a woman and the fourth-highest cumulative spacewalk time overall. She was also the first person to run a marathon in space.
Williams’ most recent mission drew global attention after she and Wilmore were launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner in June 2024 for what was meant to be an eight-day test flight. Technical issues stretched the mission to more than nine months, before the duo returned to Earth in March 2025 aboard SpaceX’s Crew-9.
Reflecting on her journey, Williams said, “Anyone who knows me knows that space is my absolute favourite place to be.”
“It's been an incredible honour to have served in the Astronaut Office and have had the opportunity to fly in space three times. I had an amazing 27-year career at NASA, and that is mainly because of all the wonderful love and support I’ve received from my colleagues.”
“The International Space Station, the people, the engineering, and the science are truly awe-inspiring and have made the next steps of exploration to the Moon and Mars possible,” she said.
“I hope the foundation we set has made these bold steps a little easier. I am super excited for NASA and its partner agencies as we take these next steps, and I can’t wait to watch the agency make history.”
From shuttle missions to station command
Williams first flew to space aboard Space Shuttle Discovery in December 2006 and returned on Atlantis in 2007. She served as flight engineer for Expeditions 14 and 15, completing a then record-breaking four spacewalks.
In 2012, she launched from Kazakhstan for Expeditions 32 and 33, later becoming space station commander. During that mission, she performed three spacewalks to repair critical station systems.
Her final spaceflight saw her again command the ISS during Expedition 72 after joining Expeditions 71 and 72 following the extended Starliner mission.
Colleagues pay tribute
“Suni is incredibly sharp, and an all-around great friend and colleague,” said Scott Tingle, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA Johnson.
“She’s inspired so many people, including myself and other astronauts in the corps. We’re all going to miss her greatly and wish her nothing but the best.”
India visit and emotional reunion
Born on September 19, 1965, in Euclid, Ohio, Williams is the daughter of a Gujarati father, Deepak Pandya, from Jhulasan in Mehsana district, and a Slovenian mother, Ursuline Bonnie Pandya.
During her India visit, Williams met the mother and sister of late astronaut Kalpana Chawla in New Delhi.
At the American Center event, she stepped off the dais to warmly hug Chawla’s 90-year-old mother, Sanyogita Chawla.
Later, Sanyogita Chawla told PTI, “She (Williams) is like a family member”.
Recalling the years after the Columbia disaster, she said Williams “used to come to our home for three months”, staying from morning till night and offering comfort to the grieving family.
Reflecting on her daughter’s life, Chawla said, “She had brought her own treasure. She taught us so much. What can we say?”
“She (Kalpana) used to say, 'Humanity is the only religion', and she never took any other name. When we used to ask her, what is your religion? She would say, 'My religion is work',” she recalled.
Williams, who described her India trip as a homecoming, is also set to participate in the Kerala Literature Festival beginning January 22.
Life beyond NASA
A retired US Navy captain, Williams is an accomplished helicopter and fixed-wing pilot with more than 4,000 flight hours in 40 aircraft. She holds degrees from the US Naval Academy and the Florida Institute of Technology.
As she steps away from NASA, Williams leaves behind a legacy of exploration, endurance and inspiration — one that continues to resonate both on Earth and far beyond it.