NASA astronaut and check pilot Butch Wilmore retires after 25 years

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NASA has introduced the retirement of check pilot and astronaut Butch Wilmore after 25 profitable years of service and flights aboard 4 completely different spacecraft.

Wilmore, a veteran pilot and graduate of the U.S. Naval Check Pilot College, has logged 464 days in area since his choice by NASA in 2000.

The adorned U.S. Navy Capt. has flown on the Area Shuttle Atlantis in 2009, Roscosmos Soyuz in 2014, Boeing Starliner in 2024, and returned to Earth aboard SpaceX Dragon most just lately.

He additionally accomplished 5 spacewalks for a complete of 32 hours outdoors the Worldwide Area Station.

NASA ASTRONAUT BUTCH WILMORE OPENS UP ABOUT WORSHIPPING GOD WHILE IN SPACE: 'I NEED THAT FELLOWSHIP'

On this handout picture supplied by the Nationwide Aeronautics and Area Administration (NASA), NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore is helped out of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft onboard the SpaceX restoration ship MEGAN after he and fellow NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Suni Williams, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov landed on the water on March 18, 2025 off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida. Williams and Wilmore had been coming back from a keep onboard the Worldwide Area Station that started in June 2024. (Keegan Barber/NASA by way of Getty Photographs)

"Butch’s dedication to NASA’s mission and dedication to human area exploration is actually exemplary," mentioned Steve Koerner, appearing director of NASA’s Johnson Area Middle in Houston. "His lasting legacy of fortitude will proceed to impression and encourage the Johnson workforce, future explorers, and the nation for generations. On behalf of NASA’s Johnson Area Middle, we thank Butch for his service."

Wilmore has been acknowledged as not solely technically gifted but in addition an adaptable astronaut whose legacy spans many years of advancing human spaceflight throughout many missions.

He was one of many few astronauts that flew aboard each NASA's legacy and business autos which helped validate essential techniques for long-term human spaceflight.

Astronaut Butch Wilmore mentioned he takes partial duty for points that left he and Suni Williams stranded in area for an prolonged period of time, whereas additionally saying NASA and Boeing are accountable. (NASA)

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" All through his profession, Butch has exemplified the technical excellence of what's required of an astronaut. His mastery of complicated techniques, coupled together with his adaptability and steadfast dedication to NASA’s mission, has impressed us all," mentioned Joe Acaba, chief of the Astronaut Workplace at NASA Johnson. "As he steps into this new chapter, that very same dedication will little doubt proceed to indicate in no matter he decides to do subsequent."

Wilmore’s most up-to-date launch aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on June 5, 2024, marked the primary crewed flight check mission. Throughout the mission, they had been capable of assist take away a radio frequency group antenna meeting and acquire samples for evaluation from the Future laboratory and the Quest airlock.

<source media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2022/04/672/378/SpaceX-Private-Astronauts-International-Space-Station.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2022/04/1344/756/SpaceX-Private-Astronauts-International-Space-Station.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="378" width="672"><source media="(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2022/04/931/523/SpaceX-Private-Astronauts-International-Space-Station.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2022/04/1862/1046/SpaceX-Private-Astronauts-International-Space-Station.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="523" width="931"> This photograph supplied by SpaceX reveals the SpaceX crew seated within the Dragon spacecraft on Friday, April 8, 2022 in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (SpaceX by way of AP) (SpaceX by way of AP)

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"From my earliest days, I've been captivated by the marvels of creation, trying upward with an insatiable curiosity. This curiosity propelled me into the skies, and ultimately to area, the place the magnificence of the cosmos mirrored the glory of its creator in methods phrases can scarcely convey," mentioned Wilmore. "At the same time as I ventured past Earth’s limits, I remained attuned to the sweetness and significance of the world under, recognizing the identical intricate design evident among the many stars can also be woven into the material of life at house."