NASA Astronaut Jonny Kim Will Be the First Korean American in Space

After making headlines for his astounding resume as a Navy Seal, Harvard doctor and NASA astronaut, triple threat Jonny Kim will finally be heading to the cosmos.

Taking off in March 2025, Kim will be joining the Expedition 72/73 crew as the mission’s flight engineer on their journey to the International Space Station. He will launch on the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft, accompanied by Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky, and will spend approximately eight months at the space station.

This journey not only marks Kim’s first mission since officially becoming an astronaut in 2017, but the first time any Korean American has ever traveled to space.

“I’m incredibly honored to represent NASA in our continued commitment to international collaboration and scientific study,” Kim said on the social media platform X. “Follow along as I attempt to capture the spirit of partnership, explain engineering and operational concepts in the context of space operations, highlight the amazing people who serve behind the scenes and showcase how teamwork is one of the most important ingredients of success in mission-critical environments such as space.”

A Lieutenant Commander, Kim began his career as a Navy Seaman after enlisting in 2002. While in service, Kim completed Navy SEAL, Special Operations Combat Medic and Naval Special Warfare training, eventually being assigned to SEAL Team THREE Charlie Platoon in San Diego, California. Throughout his time, Kim earned qualifications as a Military Freefall Parachutist, Advanced SCUBA, Combatant Diver (closed circuit rebreather), Naval Special Warfare Special Reconnaissance Scout and Sniper, as well as in Advanced Special Operations Techniques. Kim served as a Special Operations Combat Medic, sniper, navigator and point man on more than 100 combat operations spanning two deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

While in service, Kim additionally completed his degree in mathematics at the University of San Diego, his medical degree from Harvard Medical School and completed his internship with the Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency (HAEMR) program at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. It was here that Kim became acquainted with astronaut and physicist Scott E. Parazynski, who inspired him to apply for NASA’s Astronaut Candidacy.

Kim reported for duty in August 2017 and completed two years of training as an Astronaut Candidate. Training included technical and operational instruction in International Space Station systems, Extravehicular Activities (EVA) Operations, T-38 flight training, robotics, physiological training, expeditionary training, field geology, water and wilderness survival training and Russian language proficiency training. 

In 2020, Kim began his support of International Space Station Operations as a Capsule Communicator (CapCom) in Mission Control Center Houston. He also served as the International Space Station’s Increment Lead for Expedition 65 in 2021. 

While aboard the orbiting laboratory in 2025, Kim will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to help prepare the crew for future space missions and provide benefits to people on Earth.

“I’m fascinated by anything that is challenging, if it’s engineering, space [or] medicine,” Kim said upon his graduation in 2017. “I’m not gifted. I’m not smarter than everybody else. I’m not stronger. I just have the ability to stick to a plan and not quit.”

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This article was originally published on diversitycomm.net.