NASA Astronaut Mike Fincke Leaves NASA, Career Includes 4 Spaceflights

NASA astronaut Mike Fincke is leaving the agency after 30 years of service. Across his career he flew four missions, spent 549 days in space, and completed nine spacewalks totaling 48 hours and 37 minutes, placing him fourth among NASA astronauts in accumulated time in orbit. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman praised his contributions as a pilot, engineer, astronaut, and mentor, noting his role in preparing the Artemis generation. Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA's Johnson Space Center, highlighted his impact across the agency and his legacy of service and mentorship.

Fincke joined NASA's 16th astronaut class in 1996 and first launched in 2004 on Soyuz TMA-4 for Expedition 9, where he served as science officer and flight engineer and performed four spacewalks. In 2008 he commanded Expedition 18 on Soyuz TMA-13, helping prepare the station for six-person crews and completing two more spacewalks. In 2011 he flew on STS-134, the final flight of space shuttle Endeavour, as mission specialist and robotic arm operator; he completed three spacewalks and helped deliver and install the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer.

Most recently, Fincke piloted NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 mission, which launched in August 2025 and returned in January, serving as flight engineer for Expedition 73 and commander of Expedition 74. Early in the ISS program he helped test and integrate initial station modules, and his flight experience spanned the Soyuz, space shuttle, and SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. His departure closes a career that both shaped and bridged multiple generations of human spaceflight.