The first crime in Space, after all, never happened. Ex-wife confesses to lying about astronaut

In 2019, Summer Heather Worden accused her ex-wife, astronaut Anne McClain, of having accessed her bank account without authorization. Now, he confessed that he was lying.

A years-long legal battle between a former Air Force intelligence officer and his ex-wife, a NASA astronaut, came to a head last month when 50-year-old Summer Heather Worden pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators.

Become falsely accused astronaut Anne McClain of illegally accessing his bank account from the International Space Station (ISS), in what became widely known as the first alleged crime committed in Space.

Worden now faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 after admitting that he misled authorities about the circumstances surrounding the couple’s joint financial accounts.

The case dates back to 2019, when Worden alleged that McClain had used his password to access your personal bank account while aboard the ISS. The accusation triggered investigations by both the NASA Office of Inspector General and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). At the time, McClain was a rising star in the astronaut corps, having been launched to the ISS in December 2018 for a six-month mission.

Worden’s central allegation was that McClain accessed the account without his consent. However, investigators later determined that Worden had granted access to McClain years earlier, as part of joint financial management between the two. Prosecutors said Worden lied about when he created the account and when he changed his login details, crucial facts that undermined the credibility of his accusations.

The accusation, made public in April 2020, accused Worden of the crime of make false statements to federal authorities. With his guilty plea, he admitted to having invented parts of the story that gave rise to what became an international media spectacle, says .

McClain, a decorated U.S. Army colonel and West Point graduate, has always maintained that acted with full authorization. In a statement responding to his ex-wife’s confession, he said Worden “intentionally, and with full knowledge of the truth, presented a story to federal investigators and the media with the intent to cause harm.”

“From the beginning, there was no evidence to corroborate his allegations, and there was overwhelming evidence that refuted them,” McClain added.

McClain, an experienced aviator with more than 2,000 flight hours, returned to space in March 2025 as commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission, concluding the mission in August.

Worden has the trial scheduled for February 12 of 2026.