Wilmore, 62, had already retired from the Navy. Williams, 59, also a retired Navy captain, is still with NASA. She joined Second Lady Usha Vance at Johnson Space Center in Houston earlier this week, taking part in a summer reading challenge for schoolchildren.

The astronaut is stepping away from NASA shortly after returning from a troubled test flight that left him aboard the ISS months longer than expected.

SpaceX launched four astronauts Friday to the ISS for a six-month science mission, marking the company’s 12th NASA crew flight since 2020.