Fincke Ends Three-Decade NASA Career

NASA astronaut Mike Fincke is leaving the agency after 30 years of service, concluding a career that included four spaceflights, 549 days in orbit and nine spacewalks. NASA announced his departure in a news release dated Aug. 12, 2026.

Fincke most recently piloted NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission, which launched in August 2025 and returned in January. During the mission, he served as a flight engineer for International Space Station Expedition 73 and commander of Expedition 74. He ranks fourth among NASA astronauts for cumulative time in space, with 48 hours and 37 minutes spent conducting spacewalks.

He joined NASA’s 16th astronaut class in 1996 and first traveled to space in 2004 aboard Soyuz TMA-4. He later commanded Expedition 18, flew on the final mission of space shuttle Endeavour in 2011 and helped deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer to the space station. His assignments also included spacecraft development, mission operations and work supporting NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

NASA officials credited Fincke with contributing to the development and operation of multiple generations of crewed spacecraft, including Soyuz, the space shuttle and SpaceX’s Dragon. Fincke, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, said he remained committed to human exploration and to preparing future generations of engineers, astronauts and leaders.