Sunita Williams Retires from NASA After 27-Year Career, Three ISS Missions

• NASA astronaut Sunita Williams has retired after 27 years, concluding a career with significant achievements in human spaceflight.
• Williams completed three missions to the International Space Station, logging 608 days in space, ranking second among NASA astronauts for cumulative time.
• She holds records for the most spacewalks by a woman (nine, totaling 62 hours and six minutes) and tied for the sixth-longest single spaceflight by an American.
• Her missions included STS-116/117, Expedition 32/33 (where she commanded the ISS), and the recent Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test.
• Beyond spaceflight, Williams held leadership roles, including Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office and directing operations in Star City, Russia.

Why It Matters: Sunita Williams, a pioneering NASA astronaut, retires after 27 years, leaving a legacy of spaceflight records.