Next month, Korean-American astronaut Jonny Kim (41), who will take part in a space flight for the first time under NASA, expressed his anticipation on the 19th (local time), saying, "It is hard to express in words."
Currently undergoing final training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Russia's Star City, he participated in an online interview hosted by NASA on this day and responded to the question about "what he is most looking forward to in this mission" in this way.
Kim noted, "I have been at NASA for nearly 8 years," adding, "For every space mission you see, whether manned or unmanned, a lot of work is done out of sight to carry it out, and just being able to contribute to that work is very meaningful to me." He emphasized, "I firmly believe and support that I can help inspire the next generation by sharing the scientific research we will conduct on the space station."
According to NASA, he will take off for the International Space Station (ISS) on April 8 aboard Russia's Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft with Russian astronauts Sergey Rezhikov and Alexey Zhurbitsky. He is expected to return to Earth after approximately 8 months of scientific investigation and technology demonstration missions at the ISS. He conveyed, "We are currently conducting final check training simulations and going through final ISS training to respond to emergency situations."
In response to the question regarding whether there are plans for a spacewalk, he shared that there are maintenance plans for the ISS's solar panels and expressed a hope to participate in some of them to perform the spacewalk, calling it "the most anticipated part of this mission." However, he mentioned that NASA may adjust the mission flexibly depending on circumstances, so plans could change.
Kim discussed his collaboration with Russians in this mission, stating, "The Russian spacecraft Soyuz means 'union' in Russian, and I believe this word best describes the cooperation between our two countries during the decades that the space station has existed," adding, "It is a great honor to not only represent the United States but also to serve as a diplomat between the two countries."
Kim was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2017. At that time, he attracted attention in the United States as an active military officer (U.S. Navy lieutenant colonel) and a physician.
Born into a Korean immigrant family in Los Angeles, California, in 1984, Kim enlisted in the Navy immediately after graduating high school in 2002. After completing Navy SEAL training, he was assigned as a special operations agent and obtained various special operations qualifications, including diver, special reconnaissance, and sniper, and was deployed to Iraq, where he conducted over 100 special operations and received numerous military medals and commendations.
Afterward, Kim took advantage of the U.S. military's educational support program, eventually entering the University of San Diego to major in mathematics, graduating as a valedictorian, and later enrolling in Harvard Medical School. After being commissioned as a naval officer in 2012 upon graduating from college, he earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from Harvard and became a specialist after passing through the Harvard-affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency at Massachusetts General Hospital. He also completed pilot training in the Navy, qualifying as a naval fighter pilot and a Flight Surgeon.