Sunita Williams Retires: A Look At Her Stellar Career

Who really is Sunita Williams?

Tanya Savkoor
Jan 21, 2026, 11:06 AM

Sunita Williams retiring

NASA announced the retirement of veteran astronaut Sunita Williams on January 20, culminating a 27-year-long inspiring career.

608 days in space

Williams has logged 608 days in space across three missions, making her one of the most experienced astronauts ever.

First mission: Road to history

Her first mission was in 2006-2007, during which she set records for women in space with four spacewalks totalling 29 hours and 17 minutes.

A spacewalk legend!

In her subsequent missions, Williams continued to break records, including logging a total spacewalk time of 62 hours and 6 minutes - the highest by a woman.

Recent NASA mission

She recently completed her ninth spacewalk in January 2025, logging 5 hours and 26 minutes and scripting her name in history.

9 months in space

In June 2024, Williams and her colleague Butch Wilmore launched into space on an eight-day mission, only to return 286 days later due to technical glitches.

What happened in those months?

From 150+ science experiments to breaking spacewalk records, and from US Presidential voting to Diwali, Sunita Williams did it all in space!

Sunita Williams background

Born in Massachusetts, Sunita Williams has a diverse heritage with an Indian (Gujarati) father and a Slovenian mother.

Military career

She pursued a career in the US Navy, where she became a Naval Aviator and later a test pilot before being selected for NASA's astronaut program.

Distinguished career

Throughout her distinguished career, Williams has accumulated over 3,000 flight hours in more than 30 aircraft types.

Accolades and honours

She has been won numerous awards, including the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the Humanitarian Service Medal.