Kirk Shireman is retiring from NASA, Daniel Huot, a NASA public affairs officer confirmed Tuesday. His exit comes simply two weeks after NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley made historical past by driving to the area station aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. Each males are nonetheless on board the ISS.

A supply aware of the matter instructed CNN Enterprise that Shireman already deliberate to retire this yr earlier than SpaceX’s historic mission, which took two astronauts to the ISS, took off final month.

Shireman couldn’t be instantly reached for remark Tuesday.

Information of Shireman’s departure, which was first reported by NASAWatch.com, comes at a pivotal second for this system he has overseen for the previous 5 years. After 9 years with out having a solution to get its personal astronauts to and from the area station, NASA oversaw the first-ever crewed flight of a SpaceX capsule final month.

Shireman’s retirement additionally comes after NASA’s chief of human spaceflight, Doug Loverro, abruptly resigned from the area company final month, citing a “mistake” he had made earlier this yr. CNN Enterprise beforehand reported that Loverro’s departure was associated to contracts that have been awarded for the event of lunar landers, or automobiles that may carry astronauts to the moon’s floor, in response to a supply aware of the matter. Kathy Lueders, who has spent 28 years at NASA, was named to guide the company’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, or HEO, NASA introduced final week.