Korean American astronaut to launch to space station next year

Jonny Kim, the first Korean American to become a NASA astronaut, will head to the International Space Station in March 2025, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced Thursday.

On his first mission to the ISS, Kim will serve as a flight engineer and crew member for the Expedition 72/73.

“I’m incredibly honored to represent NASA in our continued commitment to international collaboration and scientific discovery,” Kim wrote via Instagram.

Kim will board the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft in March 2025, along with astronauts Sergey Ridgkov and Alexei Zubritzky from the Russian Federal Space Corp.

They are set to stay at the space station for about eight months and conduct “scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to help prepare the crew for future space missions,” according to NASA.

Kim officially became a NASA astronaut in 2020 after completing a rigorous training program and selection process.

Born in Los Angeles to immigrant parents from South Korea, Kim served as a US Navy SEAL and participated in numerous combat missions. He is also a Harvard Medical School-trained doctor.