According to a report by news agency AP, veteran NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, who was one of the two astronauts stranded for months at the International Space Station (ISS), has retired. Williams concluded her remarkable 27-year tenure with the US space agency, with her retirement becoming official at the end of December 2025, as announced by NASA on Wednesday (Tuesday in the US). At 60 years old, Williams completed three missions to the ISS and achieved several major milestones in human space exploration.
Announcing her retirement, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman hailed her as “a trailblazer in human spaceflight,” noting that her command on the space station was crucial in influencing the future of exploration and commercial activities in low Earth orbit.
Williams spent more than eight months aboard the ISS and returned to Earth in March 2025 aboard SpaceX, accompanied by her crewmate Butch Wilmore. Wilmore had left NASA the previous summer, according to the report. The duo was launched to the space station in 2024 as the first crew to fly Boeing’s new Starliner capsule. Their mission, originally planned for one week, was extended to over nine months due to Starliner technical issues.
Sunita Williams’ Journey & Achievements
Sunita Williams completed high school at Needham High School, Massachusetts in 1983. She earned a bachelor’s degree in physical science from the US Naval Academy in 1987 and a master’s in engineering management from the Florida Institute of Technology in 1995.
Williams, a former Navy captain, spent over 27 years at NASA and logged 608 days in space across three missions. She holds the record for the most spacewalking time by a woman, 62 hours over nine spacewalks.
After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1987, she became an Ensign and later qualified as a basic diving officer. She was designated a naval aviator in 1989 and served in helicopter combat support, including deployments supporting Desert Shield and Operation Provide Comfort.
She led relief efforts after Hurricane Andrew in 1992, and in 1993 she graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. She later served as an instructor there and held roles aboard the USS Saipan, where she was selected for the astronaut program. Williams has logged over 3,000 flight hours in more than 30 aircraft.