Female Astronaut Who Spent 9 Months in Space Retires from NASA After 27 Years

Spent 608 Days on ISS, Sets Female Spacewalk Record
Starliner Malfunction Extends Return Mission by 9 Months

Sunny Williams, a 60-year-old female astronaut from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), who stayed on the International Space Station (ISS) for about nine months due to a spacecraft malfunction during the test flight of Boeing's Starliner, retired at the end of last year, concluding her 27-year career at NASA.

Sunny Williams. Photo by AP Yonhap News

According to NASA on January 21 (local time), Williams officially retired from NASA on December 27 of last year. After graduating from the United States Naval Academy and retiring as a Navy colonel, she joined NASA and completed three ISS missions, spending a total of 608 days in space. She holds the record for the longest spacewalk by a female astronaut, having conducted nine spacewalks totaling 62 hours.

Williams drew global attention during her final mission, when she participated in the test flight of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft. On June 5, 2024, Williams and one fellow astronaut boarded the Starliner and headed to the ISS, initially scheduled to return about a week later.

However, after arriving at the ISS, multiple defects were found in the Starliner spacecraft, which significantly extended the mission timeline. Considering safety, NASA decided to return the Starliner to Earth unmanned first, and have the two astronauts return later aboard a SpaceX spacecraft. As a result, Williams returned to Earth on March 18 of last year, about 286 days after leaving the planet.

CNN reported that it is not uncommon for astronauts who have served long tenures at NASA to announce their retirement after achieving significant milestones such as the test flight of a new spacecraft. Butch Wilmore, the astronaut who accompanied Williams on her final mission, also retired in the summer of last year.

In a statement released through NASA, Williams said, "Anyone who knows me knows that my favorite place is space," adding, "It was an incredible honor to have had the opportunity to fly in space three times while working at NASA."

She continued, "The International Space Station, the people there, and the engineering and science truly inspired awe," and added, "I hope the foundation we have laid will make the bold steps toward the Moon and Mars just a little bit easier."