US astronaut Sunita to retire after 27 years, how much pension will she get

Sunita Williams, an experienced astronaut of the US space agency NASA.

After a long and colorful career of 27 years, experienced astronaut Sunita Williams of the US space agency NASA has retired. The US space agency said that her retirement has been effective from December 27 of last year. This has brought an end to a memorable chapter in space exploration.

However, there has been widespread discussion and curiosity about what kind of pension and financial benefits this female explorer, who has spent more than 600 days in space, will receive after retirement. Indian media NDTV says that Sunita Williams has participated in three missions to the International Space Station in her career. She has set multiple records in human spaceflight.

She has spent a total of 608 days in space, which is the second highest time among NASA astronauts. She has also spacewalked 9 times and spent a total of 62 hours and 6 minutes outside the spacecraft. This is the highest among female astronauts and the fourth highest overall in NASA history.

Now many are curious about what her life will be like after retirement and what kind of financial benefits she will get.

How much pension will Sunita Williams get after retirement?

Sunita Williams will not get any pension directly from NASA. However, she will be eligible to receive a pension under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) of the United States. This pension will be determined by calculating her 27 years of service and the average of the highest salary of the three consecutive years.

As per the rules, she will get a pension of about 1 percent of her ‘High-3’ average salary for each year of service. Since she was a GS-15 grade officer and her annual salary was approximately equivalent to 1.20 to 1.30 crore Indian rupees, her pension amount should also be significant.

Although no specific amount has been disclosed, it is estimated that she will receive a federal pension of about $43,200 (approximately Rs. 3.6 lakh in Indian currency) per year. This includes her 27 years of service at NASA and her time as a captain in the US Navy.

Other post-retirement benefits

In addition to the US Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) pension, Sunita Williams will receive a monthly allowance under the US Social Security scheme.

In addition, the benefits she will receive after retirement include a Thrift Savings Plan, Social Security allowance i.e. monthly financial assistance, lifetime federal health insurance and life insurance benefits under the Health and Life Insurance Benefits.

In addition, Sunita Williams will also receive post-mission medical and psychological care as part of the medical and psychological support.