NASA astronaut Mike Fincke is departing the agency on Wednesday following 30 years of service. Fincke, who joined NASA's 16th astronaut class in 1996, most recently piloted the SpaceX Crew-11 mission, which launched in August 2025 and returned in January.
During his career, Fincke completed four spaceflights and spent 549 days in space. He currently ranks fourth among NASA astronauts for accumulated time in orbit.
Total time spent by Mike Fincke in space
Fincke's flight history included two missions aboard Soyuz, one on the space shuttle, and piloting the SpaceX Dragon. His most recent mission, Crew-11, saw him serve as a flight engineer for International Space Station Expedition 73 and commander of Expedition 74.
Few people have had the opportunity to shape as many chapters of NASA's history.
Fincke also performed nine spacewalks in support of the International Space Station, totaling 48 hours and 37 minutes.
