Sunita Williams Retires After 27 Years at NASA | 608 Days in Space, 3 Historic Missions - video Dailymotion

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NASA astronaut Sunita Williams has retired after 27 years, ending one of the most extraordinary careers in human spaceflight. From 608 days in space to record-breaking spacewalks, this documentary traces her journey from Earth to orbit—and back.Sunita “Suni” Williams, one of NASA’s most accomplished astronauts, officially retired on December 27, 2025, after a 27-year career that helped shape modern space exploration.Across three missions, Williams spent 608 days aboard the International Space Station, becoming second on NASA’s all-time list for cumulative time in space. She completed nine spacewalks—more than any female astronaut in history—and played a key leadership role during Boeing Starliner’s extended Crew Flight Test mission in 2024–25.This documentary-style video explores her missions, her Indian roots, her final long-duration stay on the ISS, and the legacy she leaves behind as NASA prepares for future missions to the Moon and Mars.

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00:00She was supposed to be in space for 10 days.

00:11Instead, she stayed for more than nine months.

00:19When NASA astronaut Sunita Williams lifted off aboard Boeing's Starliner,

00:23it was meant to be a short test flight.

00:26What followed became one of the longest and most defining chapters of her career.

00:35On December 27, 2025, just after Christmas, NASA quietly marked the end of an era.

00:42After 27 years, Sunita Suni Williams retired from the U.S. Space Agency.

00:48NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman called her a trailblazer in human spaceflight,

00:58crediting her leadership aboard the International Space Station

01:02and her role in shaping the future of exploration.

01:05Across three missions, Sunita Williams spent 608 days in space,

01:15the second highest cumulative time by any NASA astronaut.

01:23Her final mission alone lasted 286 days, tying her with fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore

01:30for one of the longest single spaceflights by an American.

01:39Outside the station, Williams pushed boundaries even further.

01:43She completed nine spacewalks, totaling 62 hours and six minutes,

01:48the most by any woman in NASA history.

01:51Sunita Williams was selected as a NASA astronaut in 1998,

02:00entering a world where spaceflight demanded precision, patience and risk.

02:10Her first mission came in December 2006, aboard Space Shuttle Discovery.

02:15As part of Expedition 14 and 15, she served as flight engineer

02:19and set a then world record with four spacewalks.

02:27In 2012, she launched again, this time from Kazakhstan, on a 127-day mission.

02:35There, she helped repair a dangerous ammonia leak

02:38and replaced critical power components, work that kept the space station alive.

02:47Her final mission, launched in June 2024, was meant to test a spacecraft.

02:53Instead, it tested endurance.

02:59As technical challenges extended the stay,

03:01Williams and Wilmore joined Expeditions 71 and 72,

03:06living and working aboard the ISS for nearly nine and a half months.

03:16It became a defining moment, not just for commercial spaceflight,

03:20but for leadership under uncertainty.

03:22Sunita Williams's journey is also deeply personal.

03:26Her father was born in Jula-san, Gujarat, before moving to the United States.

03:29Her mother, of Slovenian origin, helped raise a daughter who would one day orbit Earth.

03:40Born in Ohio and calling Massachusetts home,

03:43Williams is known on Earth for a simple life,

03:46working out, fixing things, hiking, camping,

03:50and spending time with her husband and dogs.

03:52For Sunita Williams, space was never just a workplace.

04:04She calls her 27 years at NASA an honor,

04:08and believes the work done aboard the International Space Station

04:11has made future missions to the Moon and Mars possible.

04:13Her time in orbit may be over, but the path she helped build reaches far beyond Earth.

04:25The National Space Station

04:34The National Space Station

04:36The National Space Station

Sunita Williams Retires After 27 Years at NASA | 608 Days in Space, 3 Historic Missions

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