Sunita Williams Retires: End of an Era for Indian-Origin Astronaut at NASA

• Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams announced her retirement from NASA after 27 years of service, effective December 27 last year.
• She completed three space missions, spending a remarkable 608 days in the International Space Station (ISS), ranking among NASA's top astronauts for time in space.
• Williams holds records for most spacewalks by a woman (9 spacewalks, 62 hours 6 minutes) and was the first to run a marathon in space.
• During her 2024 mission, she faced a dangerous thruster problem with the Starliner capsule, extending her stay to 286 days before returning safely.
• Despite being American-born, she proudly embraced her Indian heritage, carrying the Bhagavad Gita and a Ganesha idol to space, and celebrating Indian festivals.

Why It Matters: Sunita Williams' retirement marks the end of a distinguished 27-year career, leaving a legacy of courage and records.