NASA astronaut Sunita Williams has retired after nearly 27 years, with her retirement effective December 27, 2025
Williams retired shortly after a nine-month ISS mission extended unexpectedly
Williams was born on September 19, 1965. Inspired by flying early, she later retired as Navy officer
Sunita Williams has retired from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), quietly closing a career that ran for almost 27 years. The agency confirmed that her retirement took effect on December 27, 2025.
Her retirement comes not long after her return from space. Williams had spent more than nine months aboard the International Space Station (ISS) after a test flight ran into technical trouble.
Williams was born on September 19, 1965. Her father, Deepak Pandya, is Indian-American. Flying interested her early on, well before space did and she later retired after a career with the United States Navy.
1 January 2026
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Williams later joined NASA’s astronaut programme in 1998, where she came in with operational experience rather than a research background.
Her first trip to space came in December 2006 on space shuttle Discovery. Posted to the ISS as part of Expedition 14, she worked as a flight engineer. Over the course of the mission, she carried out four spacewalks, then a record and later drew attention for completing a marathon on a station treadmill.
Williams’ Space Career
Williams returned to orbit in 2012, lifting off from Kazakhstan for a long stay aboard the International Space Station. As the mission progressed, she moved into a leadership role and later took over as station commander, handling day-to-day operations and crew decisions.
By the end of her career, Williams had spent 608 days in space across three missions. She also completed nine spacewalks, with more than 62 hours spent working outside the station.
Her work at NASA was not limited to spaceflights. Williams also held senior posts on the ground, including a term as deputy chief of the Astronaut Office. She was involved in astronaut training and coordination work overseas, including assignments in Russia.
Net Worth & Earnings
Under the US government’s salary system rather than a special contract. In her later years, she fell in the GS-15 pay bracket, which media reports put at roughly $152,258 a year or about ₹1.26 crore.
Over time, those earnings added up. After a long career split between the US Navy and NASA, Williams’ personal wealth is estimated at close to $5 million. The figure reflects years of public service, not brand deals or private work.
As she left active service, Williams said space had always felt like home to her. She thanked the people she worked with and pointed to the International Space Station as proof of what countries can achieve together, adding that she was keen to watch future missions take things further.
