About Suni (Photo: NASA)
NASA Astronaut Sunita Williams, popularly known as Suni Williams, completed three missions aboard the International Space Station, setting numerous human spaceflight records throughout her impressive 27-year career.
"Suni Williams has been a trailblazer in human spaceflight, shaping the future of exploration through her leadership aboard the space station and paving the way for commercial missions to low Earth orbit," said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. "Her work advancing science and technology has laid the foundation for Artemis missions to the Moon and our future endeavors toward Mars. Her extraordinary achievements will continue to inspire generations to dream big and push the boundaries of what’s possible. Congratulations on your well-deserved retirement, and thank you for your service to NASA and our nation."
Williams logged 608 days in space, which places her second on the list of cumulative time in space by a NASA astronaut. She ranks sixth for the longest single spaceflight by an American, tied with fellow NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, both logging 286 days during NASA’s Boeing Starliner and SpaceX Crew-9 missions. Suni also completed nine spacewalks, totaling 62 hours and 6 minutes, which ranks as the most spacewalk time by a woman and fourth on the all-time cumulative spacewalk duration list. Additionally, she was the first person to run a marathon in space.
"Over the course of Suni’s impressive career trajectory, she has been a pioneering leader," said Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. "From her indelible contributions and achievements to the space station, to her groundbreaking test flight role during the Boeing Starliner mission, her exceptional dedication to the mission will inspire future generations of explorers."
Suni launched for the first time aboard space shuttle Discovery with STS-116 in December 2006 and returned aboard space shuttle Atlantis with the STS-117 crew. She served as a flight engineer for Expeditions 14/15 and completed a then-record-breaking four spacewalks during her mission.
In 2012, Williams launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a 127-day mission as a member of Expedition 32/33, where she also served as space station commander for Expedition 33. During that mission, she performed three spacewalks to repair a leak on a station radiator and replace a component that connects power from the station’s solar arrays to its systems.
Most recently, Suni Williams and Wilmore launched aboard the Starliner spacecraft in June 2024 as part of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test mission. They joined Expedition 71/72, and Williams took command of the space station for Expedition 72, completing two spacewalks before returning to Earth in March 2025 as part of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission.
"Suni is incredibly sharp, and an all-around great friend and colleague," said Scott Tingle, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA Johnson. "She’s inspired so many people, including myself and other astronauts in the corps. We’re all going to miss her greatly and wish her nothing but the best."
Beyond her extensive spaceflight experience, Suni Williams held various roles throughout her NASA career. In 2002, she served as a NEEMO (NASA Extreme Environments Mission Operations) crew member, spending nine days living and working in an underwater habitat. After her first flight, she became the deputy chief of NASA’s Astronaut Office and later served as the director of Operations in Star City, Russia, following her second mission to the space station. Most recently, she helped establish a helicopter training platform 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 and a master’s degree in engineering management from the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida. A retired U.S. Navy captain, Suni Williams is an accomplished helicopter and fixed-wing pilot, having logged over 4,000 flight hours across 40 different aircraft.
"Anyone who knows me knows that space is my absolute favorite place to be," said Suni. "It’s been an incredible honor to have served in the Astronaut Office and to have had the opportunity to fly in space three times. I had an amazing 27-year career at NASA, largely due to 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."