What caused the extension of Suni Williams' Starliner mission?

Propulsion problems with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft extended their planned one-week ISS stay to 286 days, leading to their return on a SpaceX Dragon in March 2025.

When did Suni Williams retire from NASA and what was her total service length?

Suni Williams retired effective December 27, 2025, after 27 years of service at NASA.

Who is Butch Wilmore and what happened to him after the mission?

Butch Wilmore was Suni Williams' crewmate and commander on the Starliner test flight; he also retired from NASA last summer after their extended mission.

What did NASA Administrator say about Suni Williams' contributions?

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman called her a trailblazer whose work laid the foundation for Artemis missions to the Moon and Mars, advancing science and technology.

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Suni Williams, veteran NASA astronaut, retires after Starliner odyssey

Suni Williams, a record-setting NASA astronaut who endured a months-long Starliner mission extension aboard the ISS, retired after 27 years, holding the women's spacewalk record.

Overview

A summary of the key points of this story verified across multiple sources.

Suni Williams, 60, retired effective Dec. 27 after 27 years at NASA; she logged 608 days in space and holds the women's record for cumulative spacewalk time.

She and crewmate Butch Wilmore launched on Boeing's June 2024 Starliner test flight; propulsion problems extended their ISS stay to 286 days, returning on a SpaceX Dragon in March 2025.

Her retirement coincides with Artemis II prep; NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman called her a "trailblazer," noting her role in laying groundwork for lunar and Mars exploration.

During the extended mission, Williams and Wilmore denied feeling abandoned despite political claims by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk that they were "stuck" and "rescued".

Though both astronauts retired from NASA, commercial spaceflight remains an option; private missions like Axiom's have already returned retired astronauts to low Earth orbit.

Written using shared reports from

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Analysis

Compare how each side frames the story — including which facts they emphasize or leave out.

Center-leaning sources frame Williams' retirement as a heroic capstone while foregrounding the Boeing Starliner failures. Editorial choices—loaded labels like "ill-fated"/"now-infamous," selective emphasis on NASA praise and astronaut rebuttals to Trump's "stuck" claim, and sequencing that leads with the Starliner saga—shape a cautionary narrative about Boeing and a resilient astronaut legacy.

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: Propulsion problems with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft extended their planned one-week ISS stay to 286 days, leading to their return on a SpaceX Dragon in March 2025.
Sources:
CBS News Boston
: She logged 608 days in space, second among NASA astronauts, and holds the women's record for cumulative spacewalk time at 62 hours and 6 minutes over nine spacewalks, fourth all-time.
Sources:
NASA
: Suni Williams retired effective December 27, 2025, after 27 years of service at NASA.
Sources:
NASA
: Butch Wilmore was Suni Williams' crewmate and commander on the Starliner test flight; he also retired from NASA last summer after their extended mission.
Sources:
Fox News
: NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman called her a trailblazer whose work laid the foundation for Artemis missions to the Moon and Mars, advancing science and technology.
Sources:
NASA