Sunita Williams Retires from NASA After 27 Years of Stellar Service
Washington: Veteran astronaut Sunita Williams has retired from the US space agency NASA after an illustrious career spanning 27 years. Her retirement, effective from the 27th of last month, was formally announced by NASA on Thursday morning.
In a press release, NASA highlighted Williams’ extraordinary contributions to human spaceflight. During her career, she flew on three missions to the International Space Station (ISS), spending a total of 608 days in space -the second-highest cumulative time for any NASA astronaut. She also carried out nine spacewalks, totalling more than 62 hours, the most by a woman astronaut to date.
Williams has been a trailblazer on several fronts. She earned global recognition as the first person to run a marathon in space, completing the Boston Marathon while orbiting Earth aboard the ISS.
Of Indian origin, Williams first travelled to space in 2006 aboard Space Shuttle Discovery. She later served as commander of the ISS during Expedition 33, becoming one of the few women to lead the orbital laboratory. Her most recent mission was during 2024–2025, when she flew aboard Boeing’s Starliner and SpaceX’s Crew-9 spacecraft, commanding Expedition 72.
NASA praised Williams for her leadership, technical expertise, and dedication to exploration, noting that her career has inspired generations of astronauts and space enthusiasts around the world.
With her retirement, Sunita Williams leaves behind a legacy of excellence and courage, firmly cementing her place among the legends of human spaceflight.
By:- Meghana Ganesh
