Kamal Ghorui
Nasa astronaut Sunita Williams has retired after a distinguished 27-year career with the US space agency, with her retirement taking effect at the end of December 2025, Nasa announced on Wednesday (Tuesday in the US). Williams, who is now 60 years old, completed three missions aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and set multiple records in human spaceflight.Announcing her retirement, Nasa administrator Jared Isaacman described Williams as “a trailblazer in human spaceflight,” adding that her leadership aboard the space station helped shape the future of exploration and commercial missions to low Earth orbit. “Congratulations on your well-deserved retirement, and thank you for your service to Nasa and our nation,” he said.Williams logged 608 days in space, the second-highest cumulative time by a Nasa astronaut. She also ranks sixth among Americans for the longest single spaceflight, tied with astronaut Butch Wilmore, with both spending 286 days in orbit. Williams completed nine spacewalks totalling 62 hours and 6 minutes, making her the woman with the most spacewalking time, as per Nasa. She was also the first person to run a marathon in space.
From space shuttle missions to the Starliner test flight
Williams first flew to space aboard the space shuttle Discovery in 2006 and later returned on Atlantis. She served as a flight engineer on Expeditions 14 and 15, completing a then-record four spacewalks. In 2012, she returned to the ISS as part of Expeditions 32 and 33, during which she also served as space station commander and carried out critical repair spacewalks.Her most recent mission came in June 2024, when Williams and Wilmore launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner on its first crewed test flight. What was planned as a short mission stretched to over nine months due to technical issues with the spacecraft. The pair eventually returned to Earth in March 2025 aboard SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission.
Indian roots and inspiration for future explorers
Williams, who is of Indian origin, has often spoken about her connection to India, calling her visit to the country a “homecoming”. During her recent visit to Delhi, she said seeing Earth from space made differences between people seem smaller, adding, “It really makes you feel like we are just one.”Reflecting on her career, Williams said space was her “absolute favourite place to be” and credited her colleagues for making her journey possible. “I had an amazing 27-year career at Nasa,” she said, adding that the ISS and its science have helped pave the way for future Moon and Mars missions.“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,” she added.
