NASA astronaut Sunita Williams retired from the space agency after 27 years of remarkable service. The retirement, effective from the 27th of last month, was announced by NASA this morning.
In a press release, NASA said Williams flew on three missions to the International Space Station (ISS), spending 608 days in space, the second-most for a NASA astronaut, and completed nine spacewalks totalling over 62 hours, the most by a woman. She was also the first person to run a marathon in space.
The Indian-origin Williams first flew in 2006 on the Space Shuttle Discovery and later served as commander of the ISS during Expedition 33. Her most recent mission was in 2024-2025 aboard Boeing Starliner and SpaceX Crew-9, where she commanded Expedition 72.
During her career, Williams also contributed to NASA on the ground, including roles in astronaut training, operations in Russia, and preparing astronauts for future Moon missions. A retired U.S. Navy captain, she has over 4,000 flight hours in helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. NASA praised her as a trailblazer in human spaceflight, inspiring future generations and helping advance science and exploration.
