A Pennsylvania native, he has flown on four space missions, including long-duration expeditions aboard the International Space Station and the Space Shuttle Endeavour. Most recently, he served as pilot on NASA's SpaceX Crew-11, launched in August 2025, working as a flight engineer for Expedition 73 and commander for Expedition 74 before returning to Earth in January 2026.

Over his career, Fincke has logged 549 days in space and completed nine spacewalks totaling more than 48 hours, placing him among NASA's most experienced astronauts. He is certified across multiple spacecraft systems, including Soyuz, Space Shuttle, Boeing Starliner, and SpaceX Crew Dragon.

Fincke holds degrees from MIT in aeronautics, astronautics, and earth and planetary sciences, as well as a master's degree from Stanford. Before NASA, he served as an Air Force flight test engineer, logging over 2,000 flight hours in more than 30 aircraft types, including work on Japan's XF-2 fighter program. Throughout his NASA career, he has played a key leadership role in the ISS program and the development of the Commercial Crew spacecraft, helping bring both Crew Dragon and Starliner into operational service.