NASA astronaut Suni Williams, who made history with her impressive space career, has officially retired after more than 27 years with the space agency. Williams’ retirement took effect at the end of December, as announced by NASA on Tuesday.
Williams’ most recent mission, which she embarked on with her crewmate Butch Wilmore, began in 2024 with Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule. Originally planned to last just one week, the mission ended up lasting over nine months due to technical issues with the capsule. The two astronauts eventually returned to Earth in March 2025 aboard a SpaceX capsule after their extended stay at the International Space Station (ISS).
Williams, 60, a former Navy captain, spent a remarkable career at NASA, with 608 days in space across three different space station missions. She also set a groundbreaking record for the most spacewalk time by a woman, totaling 62 hours during nine spacewalks.
The historic missions Williams participated in and her significant contributions to space exploration earned her praise from NASA’s new administrator, Jared Isaacman, who called her “a trailblazer in human spaceflight.” Isaacman also congratulated her on her “well-deserved retirement” in a public statement.
Williams’ retirement follows the departure of her crewmate, Butch Wilmore, who left NASA last summer. The two astronauts were part of the first-ever crew to fly aboard Boeing’s new Starliner capsule, and their mission was initially meant to test the capabilities of the spacecraft. However, it became an extended stay due to Starliner’s technical challenges.
Looking ahead, Boeing’s next Starliner mission will focus on cargo rather than crew, as NASA ensures that all technical issues, including problems with the capsule’s thrusters, are fully addressed before sending astronauts on board.
