Overview
- NASA announced that Williams’ retirement took effect on December 27, 2025, closing a career that included three missions to the International Space Station.
- She logged 608 days in space, completed nine spacewalks totaling 62 hours and 6 minutes, and became the first person to run a marathon in space.
- Her June 2024 launch on Boeing’s first crewed Starliner test flight stretched from a planned week to months because of thruster problems, leading her to join Expeditions 71 and 72 and take command of the station.
- Williams and crewmate Butch Wilmore returned to Earth in March 2025 aboard SpaceX’s Crew‑9 after Starliner was unable to bring them home as planned.
- NASA and reports say Boeing will fly a cargo‑only Starliner next as thruster and related issues are addressed before resuming crewed operations.