Veteran astronaut Suni Williams, part of the Boeing Starliner saga, retires from NASA

Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel on Jan 21, 2026

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For Suni Williams, 608 days in space was enough to call it a career.

The 60-year-old NASA astronaut who flew on three missions to the International Space Station, the most recent as part of the Crew Flight Test of Boeing’s Starliner, retired from the agency last month.

“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 in a press release released Tuesday. “Her work advancing science and technology has laid the foundation for Artemis missions to the moon and advancing toward Mars, and 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 joined her crewmate from the Starliner mission, Butch Wilmore, in retirement. The duo launched in the beleaguered spacecraft from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41 on June 5, 2024 atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for what was supposed to be as short as an eight-day stay on board the International Space Station.

But Starliner suffered helium leaks and thruster failures on its propulsion system that ultimately led to NASA choosing to keep Williams and Wilmore aboard the space station and send Starliner home without them.

Instead, the duo had to wait for the SpaceX Crew-9 mission to fly up to the station, arriving with just two instead of the normal four seats taken so the duo could have a ride home.

They became central to a political debate among Elon Musk, Donald Trump and the Biden administration on whether or not they were stranded on the station, a word NASA insists was never the case.

In the end, they flew home after spending 9 1/2 months on board.

“Anyone who knows me knows that space is my absolute favorite place to be,” said Williams. “It’s been an incredible honor to have served in the Astronaut Office and have had the opportunity to fly in space three times. I had an amazing 27-year career at NASA, and that is mainly because of all the wonderful love and support I’ve received from my colleagues.”

Williams, a retired Navy captain, was born in Needham, Massachusetts. She earned a bachelor’s degree in physical science from the U.S. Naval Academy and a master’s degree in engineering management from Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne.

She was chosen as part of the 1998 class of astronauts known as the Penguins.

Williams’ time in space rankers her second for cumulative time on orbit among NASA astronauts behind Peggy Whitson, and sixth on the list of longest single spaceflights by any American tied with Wilmore as their Starliner-turned-SpaceX mission lasted 286 days.

Her time at the station also allowed for nine spacewalkers for 62 hours, 6 minutes, the most spacewalk time for any woman and fourth-most among all astronauts.

“Suni is incredibly sharp, and an all-around great friend and colleague,” said Scott Tingle, chief of the Astronaut Office. “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.”

She first flew on STS-116 in 2006 aboard Space Shuttle Discovery and joined Expedition 14 and 15 on board, returning on STS-117 on Space Shuttle Atlantis in 2007.

During this stay, she ran the Boston Marathon, but from space.

She then flew aboard a Soyuz spacecraft in 2012 as part of Expedition 32 and 33. Her third and final trip to the station was as part of Expedition 71 and 72.

She was named commander of the space station twice.

“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. “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 the future generations of explorers.”

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