Renowned astronaut Sunita Williams has officially retired from NASA, bringing a storied 27-year career to a close.
Speaking at the Kerala Literature Festival in Kozhikode, the 60-year-old pioneer confirmed that her retirement became effective on December 27, 2025. Reflecting on her journey, Williams mixed humour with nostalgia, jokingly remarked that while she would “love to go to space again,” her husband might kill her given the time she has spent away from home. Her final mission was a historic nine-month stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS), which concluded with her return to Earth in March 2025.
Over nearly three decades, Williams set numerous records, logging a cumulative 608 days in space, the second-most for any NASA astronaut. She remains the world’s most experienced female spacewalker, with nine spacewalks totalling 62 hours and 6 minutes. Beyond her technical feats, such as running the first space marathon in 2007, Williams served twice as the ISS commander. Now in her post-retirement phase, she is visiting India to inspire the next generation through STEM advocacy. She expressed immense optimism for India’s Gaganyaan programme, noting that the “torch has been passed” to a new era of explorers ready to push the boundaries of the solar system.
