Washington DC: Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams took retirement on Tuesday (January 20). The retirement, announced by the space agency, came into effect on December 27, 2025. Notably, Williams'
last space mission, which was scheduled for 10 days, extended for over nine months.
"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," NASA said in a statement.
What Sunita Williams Said On Her Retirement:
"Anyone who knows me knows that space is my absolute favourite place to be," said Williams.
"It's been an incredible honor 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," she stated.
"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. 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," the astronaut further added.
For the unversed, Williams had spent 608 days in space, second on the list of the total time spent by a NASA astronaut. The Indian-origin astronaut also ranks sixth on the list of longest single spaceflight by an American, along with NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore. Both spent 286 days during NASA's Boeing Starliner and SpaceX Crew-9 missions.
She also completed nine spacewalks, totalling 62 hours and 6 minutes, achieving the feat of the most spacewalk time by a woman and fourth-most on the all-time cumulative spacewalk duration list. Williams also ran a marathon in space, becoming the first person to do so.
Reaction Of Kalpana Chawla's Mother:
"Over the course of Suni's impressive career trajectory, she has been a pioneering leader," said Vanessa Wyche, Director of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
In 2012, Williams launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a 127-day mission as a member of Expedition 32/33. She also served as space station commander for Expedition 33. Williams performed three spacewalks during the mission to repair a leak on a station radiator.
Williams' father was from Gujarat's Mehsana district. He later migrated to the US, and there he married a Slovenian, Bonnie Pandya.
