WASHINGTON DC (US): NASA astronaut Sunita Williams has retired after 27 years of service, effective December 27, 2025.
With a remarkable career spanning three missions aboard the International Space Station, Williams has set numerous human spaceflight records, including logging 608 days in space, the second-most cumulative time by a NASA astronaut.
“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.
Williams logged 608 days in space—second on the list of cumulative time in space by a NASA astronaut. She ranks sixth on the list of longest single spaceflight by an American, tied with NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, both logging 286 days during NASA’s Boeing Starliner and SpaceX Crew-9 missions.
