Longtime NASA astronaut Suni Williams announces retirement
Longtime NASA astronaut Suni Williams announced her retirement Tuesday — officially making the unexpectedly long Boeing Starliner test flight her final foray to orbit as a member of the astronaut corps, reports BritPanorama.
Williams, who has set multiple spaceflight records since joining the agency in 1998, did not provide details on the timing of her retirement in a statement issued by NASA on Tuesday.
“Anyone who knows me knows that space is my absolute favorite place to be,” Williams stated. “It’s been an incredible honor to have served in the Astronaut Office and have had the opportunity to fly in space three times.”
Williams first traveled to the International Space Station in 2006 aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery and returned to orbit in a Russian Soyuz capsule in 2012.
However, her latest mission, in which she and fellow NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore set out to test fly Boeing’s new Starliner capsule on its first crewed mission, was perhaps her most notable.
Wilmore and Williams had anticipated spending about a week on the space station during the test flight, but the duo ultimately stayed more than nine months due to technical issues with the Starliner vehicle, which NASA opted to fly home empty due to safety concerns.
Williams and Wilmore garnered international attention for their experience, although both astronauts frequently reiterated that they enjoyed their time in orbit and were well-prepared for their unexpectedly extended stay.
“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 mentioned in her statement. “The International Space Station, the people, the engineering, and the science are truly awe-inspiring and have made the next steps of exploration to the Moon and Mars possible. I hope the foundation we set has made these bold steps a little easier.”
Record-setting astronaut
Williams has logged 608 days in space, the second-most cumulative time by a NASA astronaut, following Peggy Whitson.
She has also accrued 62 hours of free-floating activity in space across nine different spacewalks, making her the highest-ranking woman in that category and fourth in the world.
Williams recorded several notable firsts during her time in orbit: in 2012, she became the first person to complete a triathlon in space, using a stationary bike, simulating swimming with a weight-lifting machine, and running on a treadmill while strapped in to prevent floating away. Earlier, in 2007, she had also become the first person to run a marathon in space.
“Over the course of Suni’s impressive career trajectory, she has been a pioneering leader,” stated Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “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.”
Joining Wilmore in retirement
Williams’ exit from the astronaut corps comes months after she and Wilmore returned from the space station, concluding their test flight mission.
Wilmore’s and Williams’ departures from NASA follow the example set by Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, the astronauts who piloted the first crewed test flight of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule in 2020. This earlier mission, which did not face major technical issues, marked the last for both Behnken and Hurley, who have since retired.
It is common for astronauts with lengthy careers at the agency to announce their retirement following significant milestones, such as test piloting a new spacecraft.
It’s unclear when the Starliner capsule will fly again. NASA revealed plans to conduct the spacecraft’s next mission without crew members, treating it as another uncrewed test flight.
The Starliner spacecraft experienced thruster outages and gas leaks during Williams and Wilmore’s flight, yet both astronauts expressed their willingness to fly on Starliner again if given the opportunity.
“The spacecraft is really capable,” Williams stated in a post-flight news conference last year. “There are a couple of things that need to be fixed. Folks are actively working on that. But it is a great spacecraft, and it has a lot of capability that other spacecraft don’t have, and to be a part of that program is an honor.”
The path forward for the Starliner continues to evolve as NASA seeks to enhance its capabilities for upcoming missions.
