The Impressive TimesNew Delhi: Celebrated NASA astronaut Sunita Williams has officially retired from the U.S. space agency, bringing to a close an extraordinary 27-year career marked by record-setting missions, leadership aboard the International Space Station (ISS), and major contributions to human spaceflight.
Williams, 60, is currently on a visit to India and on Tuesday participated in an interactive programme at the American Center in New Delhi. Event posters described her as a retired NASA astronaut and U.S. Navy captain, reflecting a career that bridged military aviation and space exploration.
NASA confirmed that Williams retired with effect from December 27, 2025. During her time with the agency, she flew to space three times, spending a total of 608 days in orbit — the second-highest cumulative time logged by any NASA astronaut. She also holds the distinction of completing nine spacewalks, totalling more than 62 hours, the highest by a woman and among the top four worldwide.
Speaking during the interaction, Williams reflected on one of the most challenging phases of her career, when what was planned as an eight-day mission aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft turned into an unexpected stay of over nine months in space due to technical issues. She described the experience as a defining moment that tested endurance, teamwork, and adaptability.
In an official statement issued on January 20, NASA praised Williams as a pioneer in human spaceflight. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said her leadership aboard the space station helped shape the future of low-Earth orbit missions and laid critical groundwork for upcoming Artemis missions to the Moon and long-term exploration of Mars.
Born on September 19, 1965, in Ohio, Sunita Williams is the daughter of a Gujarati father from Jhulasan village in Gujarat’s Mehsana district and a Slovenian mother. A retired U.S. Navy captain, she is a highly experienced pilot with more than 4,000 flight hours across 40 different aircraft.
Williams holds a bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Naval Academy and a master’s degree in engineering management from the Florida Institute of Technology. Over the years, she served in several key roles within NASA beyond spaceflight, contributing to astronaut training, mission planning, and station operations.
Her space career began in 2006 aboard Space Shuttle Discovery, followed by multiple long-duration missions to the ISS. She later commanded the space station and played a crucial role in maintenance missions, including complex spacewalks to repair critical systems.
Her most recent mission saw her fly aboard Boeing’s Starliner in 2024 alongside astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore, later returning to Earth in March 2025 as part of SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission.
Reflecting on her journey, Williams said space remained her favourite place to be and described her years at NASA as deeply fulfilling, made possible by the support of colleagues and mission teams. She expressed excitement about NASA’s future and said she looks forward to watching the agency continue to make history.
NASA officials and fellow astronauts praised her as a mentor, leader, and inspiration, noting that her legacy will continue to motivate future generations to push the boundaries of exploration.
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