It’s a resume that would make any mother weep with pride. Lt. Cmdr. Jonny Kim is a decorated Navy SEAL, a Havard-trained doctor and a NASA astronaut. And now he’s going to space.
Kim is expected to be launched into space in March 2025 along with two Russian cosmonauts on the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft, and spend approximately eight months at the International Space Station.
While he is there, Kim will conduct scientific investigations to prepare the ISS for future missions.
Kim, 40, boasts an unparallel list of professional qualifications and experience. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of San Diego. He later graduated from Harvard Medical School, then worked as an ER intern at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Additionally, Kim served as an enlisted Navy SEAL and was later commissioned as an officer. He is also a dual-designated naval aviator and flight surgeon.
According to a NASA press release, the space organization selected Kim as an astronaut in 2017. After completing the initial astronaut candidate training, he supported mission and crew operations in various roles — including the Expedition 65 lead operations officer, T-38 operations liaison and space station capcom chief engineer.
The announcement comes at a difficult time for NASA, which is working feverishly to rescue two other astronaut who are trapped aboard the ISS after what was supposed to be an 8-day mission. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were transported by Boeing’s Starliner.
But the pair found themselves stranded when they discovered that helium leaks on Starliner — which they had known about prior to launch — were more numerous than previously thought. Worse, the leaks have caused the thrusters to malfunction.
Wilmore and Williams will remain behind on the ISS until early next year, when a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule will bring them home.
Their time on the ISS with Kim is not expected to overlap.