The first woman who piloted the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft has stepped out of her boots after 20 years of service. Megan McArthur, a space flight veteran, has announced her retirement from NASA’s space missions. The retirement marks the end of her career that led her to daring space missions, scientific research and mission leadership.
McArthur gained fame for her role in the historic SpaceX Crew-2 mission, where she served as the first woman pilot. The mission, which launched in April 2021, involved a long-duration stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS). She was designated as a flight engineer, and her expertise and contributions were vital to the mission’s success. Arthur logged a total of 213 days in space across her two flights.
Arthur retires from her space career
Megan McArthur, a native of Honolulu, started her journey to space based on a strong academic foundation. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a doctorate in oceanography from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Her scientific background was a key asset during her missions, where she participated in numerous research activities.
Beyond her piloting duties, McArthur held several key technical and leadership roles at NASA. She served as the deputy division chief of the Astronaut Office and the assistant director of flight operations for the International Space Station Program, demonstrating her versatility and leadership capabilities. She is married to former NASA astronaut Robert Behnken, and together they have one son.
One of the most memorable moments of her career was during her first spaceflight in 2009, when she was the last person to touch the Hubble Space Telescope with the space shuttle’s robotic arm, a moment that symbolises her connection to space science.
Space Shuttle and then the SpaceX Dragon
While the STS-125 mission onboard the Atlantis was the early highlight of her career, she later became the first woman to pilot the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft – the current reliable vehicle that ferries astronauts to the ISS.
In 2019, Megan became the deputy division chief of NASA’s Astronaut Office, wherein she supported astronaut training, development, and spaceflight operations. She was also the assistant director of flight operations for the International Space Station Program from 2017.
