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22h ago

NASA Astronaut Butch Wilmore Retires After 25-Year Career and 464 Days in Space

His career tested NASA’s Commercial Crew Program by validating contingency planning through an extended nine-month Starliner mission

Boeing Crew Flight Test crew members Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams during Suited CFT FS Joint Ascent Sim training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center on October 31, 2022.
FILE - Astronaut Butch Wilmore is interviewed at Johnson Space Center on March 31, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, file)
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Overview

  • Wilmore concluded a 25-year tenure at NASA, logging 464 days in orbit across four spacecraft.
  • He commanded Boeing’s first crewed Starliner flight in June 2024, which turned into a nine-month International Space Station stay after propulsion failures.
  • During his missions, Wilmore performed five spacewalks totaling 32 hours of extravehicular activity.
  • A former U.S. Navy captain and test pilot, he flew on the Space Shuttle Atlantis, a Soyuz spacecraft, Starliner, and returned aboard a SpaceX Dragon.
  • NASA officials credited his technical leadership and adaptability with strengthening risk management and contingency strategies in the Commercial Crew Program.