Suni Williams retires: NASA astronaut's record-breaking space career
TOI GLOBAL DESK | TOI GLOBAL | Jan 21, 2026, 19:13 IST
After an illustrious career spanning 27 years, NASA astronaut Suni Williams is bidding farewell to the stars. With her groundbreaking achievements, including three missions to the International Space Station and a staggering 608 days in orbit, Williams has not only set records for spacewalks but also made history as the first person to complete a marathon in space.
NASA astronaut Suni Williams is retiring after 27 years of service, effective December 27, 2025. She has completed three missions aboard the International Space Station, setting numerous human spaceflight records. Williams logged 608 days in space, the second-most cumulative time by a NASA astronaut. She also completed nine spacewalks, totaling 62 hours and 6 minutes, ranking as the most spacewalk time by a woman and fourth-most on the all-time cumulative spacewalk duration list. Williams was also the first person to run a marathon in space.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated that Suni Williams has been a trailblazer in human spaceflight. He noted her leadership aboard the space station and her role in paving the way for commercial missions to low Earth orbit. Isaacman added that her work advancing science and technology has laid the foundation for Artemis missions to the Moon and advancing toward Mars. He concluded by saying her extraordinary achievements will continue to inspire generations to dream big and push the boundaries of what's possible, and wished her congratulations on her well-deserved retirement and thanked her for her service to NASA and the nation.
Williams logged 608 days in space, placing her second on the list of cumulative time in space by a NASA astronaut. She ranks sixth on the list of longest single spaceflights by an American. This is tied with NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, as both logged 286 days during NASA's Boeing Starliner and SpaceX Crew-9 missions.
Williams completed nine spacewalks, accumulating a total of 62 hours and 6 minutes. This places her as the woman with the most spacewalk time and fourth on the all-time cumulative spacewalk duration list. She holds the distinction of being the first person to run a marathon in space.
Vanessa Wyche, Director of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, described Suni Williams' career trajectory as impressive and pioneering. She highlighted Williams' indelible contributions and achievements to the space station. Wyche also pointed to her groundbreaking test flight role during the Boeing Starliner mission. She stated that Williams' exceptional dedication to the mission will inspire future generations of explorers.
Williams' first launch was aboard the space shuttle Discovery with STS-116 in December 2006. She returned aboard the space shuttle Atlantis with the STS-117 crew. During this mission, she served as a flight engineer for Expeditions 14/15. She completed a then-record-breaking four spacewalks during this mission.
In 2012, Williams launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a 127-day mission. She was a member of Expedition 32/33. During this time, she also served as space station commander for Expedition 33. Williams performed three spacewalks during this mission. These spacewalks were to repair a leak on a station radiator and replace a component that transfers power from the station's solar arrays to its systems.
Most recently, Williams and Wilmore launched aboard the Starliner spacecraft in June 2024. This was part of NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test mission. Williams and Wilmore joined Expedition 71/72. Williams once again took command of the space station for Expedition 72. She completed two spacewalks on this mission. She returned to Earth in March 2025, as part of the agency's SpaceX Crew-9 mission.
Scott Tingle, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA Johnson, described Suni Williams as incredibly sharp. He also called her an all-around great friend and colleague. Tingle stated that she has inspired many people, including himself and other astronauts in the corps. He added that they will all miss her greatly and wish her nothing but the best.
Beyond her spaceflight experience, Williams held numerous roles throughout her NASA career. In 2002, she served as a NEEMO (NASA Extreme Environments Mission Operations) crew member. She spent nine days living and working in an underwater habitat during this assignment. After her first spaceflight, she served as deputy chief of NASA's Astronaut Office.
Following her second mission to the space station, she later became the Director of Operations in Star City, Russia. Most recently, she helped establish a helicopter training platform. This platform is designed to prepare astronauts for future Moon landings.
The Needham, Massachusetts, native holds a bachelor's degree in physical science from the United States Naval Academy. She also earned a master's degree in engineering management from Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida. Williams is a retired US Navy captain. She is an accomplished helicopter and fixed-wing pilot, having logged more than 4,000 flight hours in 40 different aircraft.
"Anyone who knows me knows that space is my absolute favourite place to be," said Williams.
"It's been an incredible honor to have served in the Astronaut Office and have had the opportunity to fly in space three times. I had an amazing 27-year career at NASA, and that is mainly because of all the wonderful love and support I've received from my colleagues. The International Space Station, the people, the engineering, and the science are truly awe-inspiring and have made the next steps of exploration to the Moon and Mars possible. I hope the foundation we set has made these bold steps a little easier. I am super excited for NASA and its partner agencies as we take these next steps, and I can't wait to watch the agency make history," she said.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated that Suni Williams has been a trailblazer in human spaceflight. He noted her leadership aboard the space station and her role in paving the way for commercial missions to low Earth orbit. Isaacman added that her work advancing science and technology has laid the foundation for Artemis missions to the Moon and advancing toward Mars. He concluded by saying her extraordinary achievements will continue to inspire generations to dream big and push the boundaries of what's possible, and wished her congratulations on her well-deserved retirement and thanked her for her service to NASA and the nation.
Williams logged 608 days in space, placing her second on the list of cumulative time in space by a NASA astronaut. She ranks sixth on the list of longest single spaceflights by an American. This is tied with NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, as both logged 286 days during NASA's Boeing Starliner and SpaceX Crew-9 missions.
Williams completed nine spacewalks, accumulating a total of 62 hours and 6 minutes. This places her as the woman with the most spacewalk time and fourth on the all-time cumulative spacewalk duration list. She holds the distinction of being the first person to run a marathon in space.
Vanessa Wyche, Director of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, described Suni Williams' career trajectory as impressive and pioneering. She highlighted Williams' indelible contributions and achievements to the space station. Wyche also pointed to her groundbreaking test flight role during the Boeing Starliner mission. She stated that Williams' exceptional dedication to the mission will inspire future generations of explorers.
Williams' first launch was aboard the space shuttle Discovery with STS-116 in December 2006. She returned aboard the space shuttle Atlantis with the STS-117 crew. During this mission, she served as a flight engineer for Expeditions 14/15. She completed a then-record-breaking four spacewalks during this mission.
In 2012, Williams launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a 127-day mission. She was a member of Expedition 32/33. During this time, she also served as space station commander for Expedition 33. Williams performed three spacewalks during this mission. These spacewalks were to repair a leak on a station radiator and replace a component that transfers power from the station's solar arrays to its systems.
Most recently, Williams and Wilmore launched aboard the Starliner spacecraft in June 2024. This was part of NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test mission. Williams and Wilmore joined Expedition 71/72. Williams once again took command of the space station for Expedition 72. She completed two spacewalks on this mission. She returned to Earth in March 2025, as part of the agency's SpaceX Crew-9 mission.
Scott Tingle, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA Johnson, described Suni Williams as incredibly sharp. He also called her an all-around great friend and colleague. Tingle stated that she has inspired many people, including himself and other astronauts in the corps. He added that they will all miss her greatly and wish her nothing but the best.
Beyond her spaceflight experience, Williams held numerous roles throughout her NASA career. In 2002, she served as a NEEMO (NASA Extreme Environments Mission Operations) crew member. She spent nine days living and working in an underwater habitat during this assignment. After her first spaceflight, she served as deputy chief of NASA's Astronaut Office.
Following her second mission to the space station, she later became the Director of Operations in Star City, Russia. Most recently, she helped establish a helicopter training platform. This platform is designed to prepare astronauts for future Moon landings.
The Needham, Massachusetts, native holds a bachelor's degree in physical science from the United States Naval Academy. She also earned a master's degree in engineering management from Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida. Williams is a retired US Navy captain. She is an accomplished helicopter and fixed-wing pilot, having logged more than 4,000 flight hours in 40 different aircraft.
"Anyone who knows me knows that space is my absolute favourite place to be," said Williams.
"It's been an incredible honor to have served in the Astronaut Office and have had the opportunity to fly in space three times. I had an amazing 27-year career at NASA, and that is mainly because of all the wonderful love and support I've received from my colleagues. The International Space Station, the people, the engineering, and the science are truly awe-inspiring and have made the next steps of exploration to the Moon and Mars possible. I hope the foundation we set has made these bold steps a little easier. I am super excited for NASA and its partner agencies as we take these next steps, and I can't wait to watch the agency make history," she said.