Jonny Kim is leaving NASA to proceed his navy profession.
The 42-year-old astronaut, who has probably the most jaw-dropping resumes of any individual alive, is departing at present (Aug. 27) after 9 years with the company. He has one mission below his belt, a long-duration flight to the International Space Station (ISS).
“Jonny has been an integral a part of the company, and his immeasurable affect will likely be felt for generations to return,” Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, stated in a statement today. “From advancing groundbreaking science to inspiring the subsequent technology, Jonny has been an unbelievable supply of inspiration to our nation. His distinctive expertise, dedication, and grit will go away an enduring legacy at NASA.”
NASA picked Kim as a part of its 2017 astronaut class, the twenty second within the company’s historical past. He and his 11 fellow selectees nicknamed themselves “The Turtles.”
Kim was already extremely completed earlier than he received the NASA nod. He is a doctor with a medical diploma from Harvard. He served within the U.S. navy, as a dual-designated naval aviator and flight surgeon in addition to a Navy SEAL — a commando educated to conduct particular operations on sea, air and land (therefore the acronymic title).
“Over the course of greater than 100 fight operations, he served as a medic, sniper, navigator and level man, incomes the Silver Star, Bronze Star with Fight ‘V,’ and quite a few further commendations,” NASA officers stated in the identical assertion.
After finishing his obligatory two years of NASA astronaut coaching, Kim served as a CAPCOM (“capsule communicator”) at JSC, relaying data between Mission Management and crewmembers on the ISS.
“Kim additionally contributed to Artemis program improvement via his work within the astronaut exploration department, main the astronaut crew operations department, and serving as increment lead for Expedition 65,” NASA officers stated in the identical assertion. “His experiences as a Navy SEAL, doctor and naval aviator offered distinctive views in mission operations and crew help.”
In April 2025, Kim received the prospect to go to house himself. He launched to the ISS aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft together with Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky.
The trio lived and labored in house for 245 days, circling Earth 3,920 occasions and touring a complete of practically 104 million miles (167 million kilometers), based on NASA. Throughout that point, Kim performed a wide range of scientific experiments that might advance technological improvement and assist house exploration down the street.
Kim, Ryzhikov and Zubritsky returned to Earth in December, touching down of their Soyuz on the steppe of Kazakhstan .
Kim is not strolling off into the sundown now. Removed from it: He is going again to energetic obligation, “to complete out the rest of his navy profession inside naval aviation coaching,” based on NASA.
“Contributing to house exploration and serving NASA has been the glory of a lifetime,” Kim stated in the identical NASA assertion.
“All through my profession, I’ve discovered that past the missions, the coaching, and the {hardware}, success at all times comes right down to the folks,” he added. “They’re our best asset, and main with love and empathy is how we obtain the unimaginable. I sit up for carrying my dedication to service, my enduring love for house and expertise, and the hard-earned classes of this previous decade into my subsequent chapter to make a significant affect on humanity’s future.”
Kim is not the one astronaut to hold up his spacesuit in 2026. NASA’s Mike Fincke stepped away this 12 months, as did Canadian Jeremy Hansen, who was one of many 4 crewmembers on NASA’s Artemis II flight across the moon.
