From Naval Aviator to Record-Setting Spacewalker, Sunita Williams’ Journey Inspires Generations

Veteran NASA astronaut Sunita (Suni) L. Williams has announced her retirement, bringing to a close an extraordinary career that redefined human spaceflight and set new benchmarks for women in space. Selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1998, Williams spent more than two decades serving the agency, completing three long-duration missions aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Williams flew on Expeditions 14/15, 32/33 and 71/72, logging a total of 608 days in space. Over the course of her career, she completed 62 hours and 6 minutes of spacewalks, the highest by any female astronaut and the fourth highest overall in NASA history. Her final mission concluded in March 2025, when she returned safely to Earth aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft as part of NASA’s Crew-9 mission.

Born in Euclid, Ohio, to Dr. Deepak and Bonnie Pandya, Williams considers Needham, Massachusetts, her hometown. Her journey began at the U.S. Naval Academy, followed by a distinguished career in the United States Navy as a helicopter pilot and test pilot, where she logged more than 3,000 flight hours in over 30 aircraft. She was deployed in support of operations including Desert Shield and humanitarian missions such as Hurricane Andrew relief efforts.

After joining NASA, Williams played a key role in space station assembly, maintenance and scientific research. She also served as Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office and later as International Space Station Commander, becoming one of the most respected leaders in NASA’s astronaut corps.

Her final spaceflight in 2024–25 was historic, as she and astronaut Butch Wilmore launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft for its first crewed mission. Following NASA’s decision to return Starliner uncrewed, Williams continued her service aboard the ISS as part of Expeditions 71 and 72 before returning home.