Indian-origin Nasa astronaut Sunita Williams has retired after a 27-year career, during which she spent a record 608 days in space. Her final mission launched in 2024 aboard Boeing's Starliner capsule but extended over nine months due to technical issues. Nasa administrator Jared Isaacman described her as a trailblazer in human spaceflight.
Sunita Williams, a 60-year-old former Navy captain, has retired after 27 years at Nasa. The space agency announced the news on January 20, 2026, stating her retirement took effect at the end of December. Williams logged 608 days in space across three station missions and holds the record for the most spacewalking time by a woman: 62 hours over nine excursions.
Her final mission launched in 2024 with crewmate Butch Wilmore aboard Boeing's new Starliner crew capsule, intended to last just a week but extended to more than nine months due to Starliner troubles. In the end, they returned home last March with SpaceX. Wilmore left Nasa last summer.
Nasa's new administrator Jared Isaacman called her "a trailblazer in human spaceflight" in a statement. "Congratulations on your well-deserved retirement," he said.
Boeing's next Starliner mission will carry cargo—not people—to the space station later this year, ensuring all thruster and other issues are resolved before crewed flights.
