NASA astronaut Sunita William retires after 27 years and 608 days in Space
Selected by NASA in 1998, the Indian-origin astronaut spent a total of 608 days in space across three missions, the second-highest cumulative time logged by a NASA astronaut.
PTC News Desk: NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, whose planned 10-day space mission extended to nearly nine-and-a-half months aboard the International Space Station (ISS), has retired after a 27-year career. NASA announced her retirement on Tuesday, which officially took effect on December 27, 2025, shortly after Christmas.
Selected by NASA in 1998, the Indian-origin astronaut spent a total of 608 days in space across three missions, the second-highest cumulative time logged by a NASA astronaut. She also ranks sixth for the longest single spaceflight by an American astronaut, tied with fellow NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, with both spending 286 days in space during NASA’s Boeing Starliner and SpaceX Crew-9 missions.
“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,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “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.”
Sunita completed nine spacewalks lasting a combined 62 hours and 6 minutes — the most by any woman astronaut and the fourth-highest overall in NASA history. She also made history as the first person to run a marathon in space.
Her first spaceflight began on December 9, 2006, aboard space shuttle Discovery as part of the STS-116 mission. Serving as a flight engineer for Expedition 14/15, she set a then-world record by completing four spacewalks totalling 29 hours and 17 minutes.
Her second mission launched on July 14, 2012, from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome for a 127-day stay on the ISS as a member of Expeditions 32/33. During this mission, Williams carried out three spacewalks to fix an ammonia leak and replace a critical power system component connected to the station’s solar arrays.
Her third and longest mission began in June 2024, when she and Wilmore flew aboard the Starliner spacecraft as part of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. They later joined Expeditions 71/72 and returned to Earth in March 2025.