When Sunita Williams was stuck in space for 9 months but still missed the chance of meeting Shubhanshu Shukla

Sunita Williams returned to Earth after nine months in space, only to narrowly miss meeting India’s Shubhanshu Shukla who reached ISS right after she was left on a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule (Freedom).

“Though I spent nine months in space during my latest trip to the ISS, I missed meeting Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla who reached the station just after I left,” Williams said during an interactive session, 'Eyes on the Stars, Feet on the Ground' at American Center.

During her last trip to space before hanging her astronaut suit, Williams went to ISS in 2024 for a scheduled 8-day space trip but had to spend 9 months on ISS as the Boeing Starliner that took her to ISS malfunctioned and had to return empty-handed. Later, SpaceX's Dragon brought Williams and her crewmate Butch Wilmore back to Earth on March 18, 2025, with the duo ending up spending 286 days in space. India’s Group Capt Shukla went to space as part of the Axiom mission on June 25, 2025.


Williams faced several health issues after returning to Earth after remaining in zero gravity for a long time. However, the 60-year-old was seen in high spirits in Delhi on Tuesday, guiding and inspiring Indian students to join the space sector. To cheer her at the Delhi event was the mother of another Indian-American astronaut, Kalpana Chawla, who died in the Space Shuttle Columbia crash in 2003. Williams, wearing a trademark deep blue space overalls and sporting a pair of space-themed canvas shoes, stepped off the dais and reached out to Chawla’s mother, Sanyogita Chawla, 90, who was sitting in the front row, and gave her a warm hug.

When asked about the renewed global interest in the Moon, Williams acknowledged the existence of a modern “space race”. “I think there is a space race going on. We want to get back to the moon sustainably and start the conversation about rules of engagement— how we actually work together with other countries. We want to do this in a productive, democratic way, much like Antarctica,” she said.

Williams asserted that the horizon of space exploration is rapidly expanding beyond traditional boundaries, stating that the commercialisation of space is creating unprecedented opportunities for innovation. “Commercialisation of space is great. It means there are opportunities for people to work in so many different companies— not only rockets and spacecraft, but parts of space, experiments, satellites, and 3D printing of metals,” she said.

“In my childhood, I never dreamt of becoming an astronaut. We used to watch Star Trek on black & white TV. After I did my schooling and graduated, my brother pushed me to join the military and, thereafter, I became a Navy officer,” she said. Williams had logged more than 3,000 flight hours in more than 30 types of aircraft during her career in the US Navy before donning the astronaut suit. While flying aircraft as a Navy commander, I then wished that I should go to the Moon. From then on, I pursued the career of an astronaut,” Williams recalled.

Sunita 'Suni' Williams was born to a Gujarati father, Deepak Pandya, hailing from Jhulasan in Mehsana district and a Slovenian mother, Ursuline Bonnie Pandya, on September 19, 1965, in Euclid, Ohio, in the US.

“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,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman was quoted as saying in the statement.

“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 logged 608 days in space -- second on the list of cumulative time in space by a NASA astronaut. She ranks sixth on the list of longest single spaceflight by an American, tied with NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, both logging 286 days during NASA’s Boeing Starliner and SpaceX Crew-9 missions, it said.

Williams also completed nine spacewalks, totalling 62 hours and 6 minutes, ranking as the most spacewalk time by a woman and fourth-most on the all-time cumulative spacewalk duration list. She was the first person to run a marathon in space, NASA said.

The Needham, Massachusetts, native holds a bachelor's degree in physical science from the United States Naval Academy and a master’s degree in engineering management from Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida.

A retired US Navy captain, Williams is an accomplished helicopter and fixed-wing pilot, having logged more than 4,000 flight hours in 40 different aircraft, it said.

“Anyone who knows me knows that space is my absolute favourite place to be,” Williams was quoted as saying in the statement.

“It's been an incredible honour 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," she said.

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, the veteran astronaut said.

"I hope the foundation we set has made these bold steps a little easier. I am super excited for NASA and its partner agencies as we take these next steps, and I can’t wait to watch the agency make history," she said.

Williams launched for the first time aboard space shuttle Discovery with STS-116 in December 2006 and returned aboard space shuttle Atlantis with the STS-117 crew.

She served as a flight engineer for Expeditions 14/15 and completed a then-record-breaking four spacewalks during the mission.

In 2012, Williams launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a 127-day mission as a member of Expedition 32/33. She also served as space station commander for Expedition 33.

Williams performed three spacewalks during the mission to repair a leak on a station radiator and replace a component that gets power from the station’s solar arrays to its systems, it said.

Most recently, Williams and Wilmore launched aboard the Starliner spacecraft in June 2024 as part of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test mission. She and Wilmore went on to join Expedition 71/72, and Williams again took command of the space station for Expedition 72.

She completed two spacewalks on the mission and returned to Earth in March 2025, as part of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission.

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

“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.”

Beyond her spaceflight experience, Williams held numerous roles throughout her NASA career.