Robert Hines (astronaut)

Did You Know?

• Hines attended Space Camp as a 14-year-old in 1989.
• He received the U.S. Air Force Bobby Bond Memorial Aviator Award.
• He is a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Military career

Robert Hines began his military aviation career in 1999 after graduating from Air Force Officer Training School and receiving his commission as a second lieutenant. The following year, he completed Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training at Columbus Air Force Base as a member of class 01–03, subsequently serving as an instructor pilot on the T-37 Tweet. He later trained on the F-15E Strike Eagle at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and was assigned to RAF Lakenheath, where he deployed for operations in the Middle East.

In 2008, Hines attended the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, earning a Master of Science in flight test engineering. His first test pilot role was at Eglin Air Force Base, where he evaluated the F-15C Eagle and F-15E Strike Eagle, and also deployed as a U-28 pilot. He earned a second Master of Science, this time in aerospace engineering, from the University of Alabama in 2010. Joining the Air Force Reserves at NAS JRB Fort Worth in 2011, he worked as a wing plans officer and as an F-15E program test pilot with the 84th Test and Evaluation Squadron.

Over his career, Hines flew 76 combat missions and logged more than 3,500 flight hours across 41 different aircraft. The U.S. Senate approved his return to active duty as a lieutenant colonel in February 2019.

NASA career

Before becoming an astronaut, Robert Hines was a test pilot for both NASA's Johnson Space Center and the Federal Aviation Administration. He joined NASA Astronaut Group 22 in 2017 and completed two years of training. At that time, he was a research pilot in the Aircraft Operations Division. In February 2021, Hines was named pilot of SpaceX Crew-4, with Kjell N. Lindgren as commander and Samantha Cristoforetti and Jessica Watkins as mission specialists. The mission launched and docked on April 27, 2022. On June 9, 2026, he was selected as the backup crew member for Artemis III.