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Four months ago, astronaut Butch Wilmore was stranded, along with Suni Williams, on the International Space Station. And now, he’s vowing never to go back into space again.\u00a0\u201cAfter 25 years at NASA, flying in four different spacecraft, accumulating 464 days in space, astronaut and test pilot Butch Wilmore has retired,” according to a\u00a0new press release from NASA<\/a>.<\/p>\n Here’s why Wilmore retired and what comes next.<\/p>\n Related: NASA Astronauts Receive Unexpected Welcome After Splashing Down in Ocean<\/a><\/p>\n Why did Butch Wilmore retire from NASA?<\/p>\n According to\u00a0E! Online\u00a0<\/a>and other outlets, neither Wilmore “expressed any real frustration with their elongated time in space.” Instead, Wilmore is 62 years old and is seemingly satisfied with his time exploring the cosmos and is ready to be a little more grounded.<\/p>\n “Even as I ventured beyond Earth\u2019s limits, I remained attuned to the beauty and significance of the world below,\u201d Butch added, \u201crecognizing the same intricate design evident among the stars is also woven into the fabric of life at home.\u201d<\/p>\n What is the next NASA launch?<\/p>\n On August 21, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will send a\u00a0Cargo Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station. This is part of an overall project to eventually\u00a0deorbit the ISS by 2031.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n This is\u00a0quietly one of the most important future space projects <\/a>for not just NASA, but the entire international space community. The ISS, where Wilmore and Williams were stuck, is not designed to be a forever space station. And, as such, will need to be safely brought down to Earth sometime before the next decade.<\/p>\n You can watch the SpaceX Falcon 9\u00a0CRS-33 launch on August 9 at\u00a03:57 a.m. Eastern time.<\/p>\n Related: Trump’s Threat To Kill SpaceX Presents One Hidden Safety Concern<\/a><\/p>\n