NASA astronaut Mike Fincke is leaving the space agency after 30 years of service, concluding a career defined by four spaceflights, 549 days in orbit, and a role in commercial crew development. His departure follows a medical emergency aboard the International Space Station earlier this year.
Fincke’s final day at the agency marks the end of an era for the astronaut corps. Over three decades, he flew four distinct missions, completed nine spacewalks totaling 48 hours and 37 minutes, and commanded the orbiting laboratory twice. Among NASA astronauts, he ranks fourth in accumulated time in space.
Thirty Years of Spaceflight Across Four Spacecraft Generations
Selected in 1996 as part of NASA’s 16th astronaut class—famously nicknamed The Sardines
—Fincke earned the distinction of being one of only 13 people to launch to orbit from Earth aboard three different spacecraft types. His flight experience spans the Russian Soyuz, the Space Shuttle, and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.
His orbital career began in 2004 aboard Soyuz TMA-4 during Expedition 9, where he served as a science officer and flight engineer. He returned to space in 2008 as commander of Expedition 18 on Soyuz TMA-13, preparing the space station for its transition to six-person crews. In 2011, he flew on STS-134, the final flight of space shuttle Endeavour, serving as mission specialist and robotic arm operator to install the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. Most recently, he piloted the SpaceX Crew-11 mission, launching in August 2025 and serving as a flight engineer for Expedition 73 and commander of Expedition 74.
“Few people have had the opportunity to shape as many chapters of NASA’s history as Mike Fincke.”
Jared Isaacman, NASA Administrator
The Medical Evacuation That Cut Crew-11 Short
Fincke’s final mission ended prematurely in January when an unexpected health issue aboard the station triggered Astronomy. While eating dinner on January 7, Fincke suddenly lost his ability to speak for about 20 minutes.
Although NASA initially kept the astronaut’s identity anonymous to protect medical privacy, Fincke publicly identified himself in February. He clarified that the incident was not an emergency, but rather required advanced medical imaging not available on the space station. Crew-11—which included NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov—returned home in mid-January.
“The doctors are still scratching their heads.”
Mike Fincke, NASA Astronaut
“We’re almost 100 percent sure that this is a space-related thing,”
Mike Fincke, NASA Astronaut
Commercial Crew Contributions and Next Steps
Beyond his time in orbit, Fincke shaped the infrastructure of modern human spaceflight. As chief of the Astronaut Office’s Commercial Crew Branch, he worked to ensure crew safety and operational needs informed the development of next-generation spacecraft. He spent five years supporting Boeing’s Crew Flight Test program as a crew member and backup pilot, contributing to software, systems integration, and spacecraft interfaces.
Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, noted that Fincke’s impact extended across engineering, operations, and mentorship.
Although Fincke is stepping away from the agency, he stated that he remains deeply committed to the work of exploration,
intending to help prepare the next generation of engineers and explorers. Neither the agency nor Fincke has disclosed specific plans for his post-NASA career.
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