NASA astronaut Jonny Kim departs for Navy duty after ISS mission

Jonny Kim is leaving NASA after nearly a decade to return to active duty as a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy. His departure marks the end of a chapter that included an eight-month mission aboard the International Space Station, where he served as a flight engineer across two expeditions and contributed to investigations spanning technology development, Earth science, biology, and human research aimed at future exploration.

Kim launched to the station in April 2025 aboard a Soyuz spacecraft and remained in orbit through December 2025, when he and his Russian crewmates landed in Kazakhstan. During his time aloft, he completed 3,920 orbits of Earth and traveled nearly 104 million miles. In the second half of Expedition 73, he took on the role of U.S. Operating Segment lead, overseeing operations across the station's international modules. One of his notable tasks was commanding the Canadarm2 robotic arm during the first capture of a Northrop Grumman Cygnus XL spacecraft, which delivered 11,000 pounds of supplies to the orbiting laboratory. During his expedition, the station reached a milestone when every available docking port was occupied simultaneously for the first time in 25 years.

Before his spaceflight, Kim had already built a multifaceted career that bridged military service and medicine. He enlisted in the Navy after graduating high school in 2002, trained as a hospital corpsman, and completed SEAL training before joining SEAL Team Three, where he participated in more than 100 combat operations and earned the Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat "V," and other commendations. He later earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of San Diego and a doctor of medicine from Harvard Medical School, then completed medical and flight training that qualified him as a naval aviator and flight surgeon.

NASA selected Kim as an astronaut in 2017. He completed two years of candidate training that included instruction in station systems, Russian language, robotics, T-38 flight operations, geology, survival training, and spacewalk preparation. Before his expedition mission, he supported station operations as a capsule communicator in Mission Control at Johnson Space Center in Houston and contributed to the Artemis program through roles in the astronaut exploration branch, the astronaut crew operations branch, and as increment lead for Expedition 65.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said Kim "represents the very best of NASA, a person who continually pushed the boundaries of exploration while inspiring countless others." Vanessa Wyche, director of Johnson Space Center, called him "an integral part of the agency" whose impact "will be felt for generations to come." Scott Tingle, chief of the Astronaut Office, noted that Kim's combination of medical training, operational experience, and engineering insight "strengthened our team and contributed to advancements in exploration and space station operations."

In a statement, Kim reflected on his time at NASA, saying that "success always comes down to the people" and that "leading with love and empathy is how we achieve the impossible." He added that he looks forward to carrying his commitment to service and the lessons of the past decade into his next chapter in naval aviation training, where he will complete the remainder of his military career.