Lt. Cmdr. Jonny Kim is no ordinary individual; his resume would make any mother swell with pride. This decorated Navy SEAL, Harvard-trained doctor, and NASA astronaut is slated for a space mission aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft in March 2025. He will spend approximately eight months at the International Space Station (ISS) conducting scientific investigations to prepare the facility for future missions.
Kim, now 40 years old, has an impressive professional background that includes a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of San Diego and a graduation from Harvard Medical School. He also worked as an ER intern at Massachusetts General Hospital. Notably, he served as an enlisted Navy SEAL and was later commissioned as an officer. Furthermore, Kim is recognized as a dual-designated naval aviator and flight surgeon.
In 2017, NASA selected Kim as an astronaut after completing the initial astronaut candidate training. In various roles such as Expedition 65 lead operations officer, T-38 operations liaison, and space station capcom chief engineer, he has supported mission and crew operations ever since.
The announcement of Kim’s upcoming space journey arrives at a challenging time for NASA. The organization is currently scrambling to save two astronauts trapped aboard the ISS following their 8-day mission. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were transported by Boeing’s Starliner, but they discovered more helium leaks than anticipated during launch. These leaks have caused thrusters to malfunction, stranding the pair on the space station until early next year when a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule will return them home. Their time aboard the ISS with Kim is not expected to overlap.
