Sunita Williams retires: How Indian-origin astronaut’s 286-day stuck space trip became the final odyssey of 27-year career
Read more: Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, who was stranded on the space station for months, retires
The couple will launch to the space station in 2024, becoming the first people to fly Boeing’s new Starliner crew capsule. Their mission was only supposed to last a week, but ended up lasting over nine months due to Starliner trouble. They finally made it home with SpaceX last March.
He was stranded in space for 9 months
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams returned after spending 286 days in the SpaceX capsule in 2025.
Wilmore and Williams spent 286 days in space; this was 278 days longer than expected when they launched. By the time of splashdown, they had circled the Earth 4,576 times and traveled 121 million miles (195 million kilometers).
Shortly after docking at the ISS, Starliner’s propulsion system developed several problems, including helium leaks and malfunctions in key thrusters. These malfunctions raised concerns about the spacecraft’s ability to return to Earth safely. NASA engineers determined that the return trip could be too risky and leave the astronauts without a reliable way back.
For Williams and Wilmore, adjusting to a long assignment required patience and adaptability. Despite the uncertainty, both astronauts continued their research and maintenance duties on the ISS. “The hardest part is the people on the ground don’t know exactly when we’ll be back,” Williams said. “This has been a rollercoaster for them, probably more so than for us.”
Sunita Williams’ space journey:
Williams first launched on space shuttle Discovery on STS-116 in December 2006 and returned with the STS-117 crew on space shuttle Atlantis. He served as a flight engineer on Expeditions 14/15 and completed a record-breaking four spacewalks during the mission.
In 2012, Williams departed from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a 127-day mission as a member of Expedition 32/33. He also served as space station commander on Expedition 33. Williams performed three spacewalks during the mission to repair a leak in the station’s radiator and replace a component that powers the station’s systems from solar panels, the statement said.
Finally, Williams and Wilmore launched aboard the Starliner spacecraft in June 2024 as part of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test mission. He and Wilmore participated in Expedition 71/72, and Williams regained command of the space station for Expedition 72. He completed two spacewalks on the mission and returned to Earth in March 2025 as part of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission.
“Suni is incredibly smart and an all-around great friend and colleague,” said Scott Tingle, chief of NASA’s Johnson Astronaut Office. “He inspired so many people, including me and the other astronauts in the corps. We will all miss him greatly and wish him nothing but the best.”
Beyond his spaceflight experience, Williams has undertaken numerous missions throughout his NASA career. In 2002, he served as a NEEMO (NASA Extreme Environments Mission Operations) crew member and lived and worked in the underwater habitat for nine days. After his first flight, he served as deputy chief of NASA’s Astronaut Office.
He later served as Director of Operations in Star City, Russia, following his second mission to the space station. He recently helped build a helicopter training platform to prepare astronauts for future Moon landings, according to the statement.
The Needham, Massachusetts native holds a bachelor’s degree in physical science from the United States Naval Academy and a master’s degree in engineering management from the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida. Williams, a retired U.S. Navy captain, is an accomplished helicopter and fixed-wing pilot with more than 4,000 flight hours in 40 different aircraft.
