Science
NASA astronaut Jonny Kim departs agency to return to active Navy duty
The former Navy SEAL and physician is leaving NASA after an eight-month space station mission to continue his military career.
The short version
- NASA astronaut Jonny Kim is leaving the space agency to resume active-duty service with the U.S. Navy.
- During his decade-long tenure, Kim completed an eight-month mission aboard the International Space Station, logging nearly 104 million miles.
- Kim will transition back to naval aviation training to complete the remainder of his military career.
Key facts
- NASA astronaut Jonny Kim is departing the agency to return to the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant commander, focusing on naval aviation training.[NASA News]
- Kim was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2017 and completed an eight-month science expedition aboard the International Space Station as a flight engineer, launching in April 2025 and returning in December 2025.[NASA News]
- During his orbital mission, Kim served as the U.S. Operating Segment lead, commanded the Canadarm2 robotic arm to capture a Cygnus XL spacecraft, and orbited Earth 3,920 times.[NASA News]
- Prior to joining NASA, Kim enlisted in the Navy in 2002, served as a Navy SEAL with more than 100 combat operations, earned a mathematics degree, and received a doctor of medicine from Harvard Medical School.[NASA News]