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NASA Astronaut Jonny Kim Launches to International Space Station Aboard Soyuz
Former Navy SEAL and Harvard Medical School graduate Jonny Kim has commenced his journey as a NASA astronaut, launching aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft alongside two cosmonaut colleagues early Tuesday for an eight-month expedition on the International Space Station (ISS). This mission marks a significant step in space exploration and long-duration spaceflight research.
Soyuz Launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome
Under the command of seasoned cosmonaut Sergey Ryzhikov, 50, with rookie Alexey Zubritsky, 32, and Kim, 41, as crew members, the Soyuz MS-27/73S spacecraft ascended from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 1:47 a.m. EDT (10:47 a.m. local time).
Nominal Ascent and Orbital Insertion
“The crew is feeling good, everything is nominal,” Ryzhikov communicated to Russian flight controllers during the ascent to orbit, confirming the smooth progression of the launch.
Approximately eight minutes and 45 seconds post-launch, the Soyuz 2.1a rocket’s third stage engine deactivated, releasing the spacecraft into free flight, promptly followed by the successful deployment of its solar arrays and navigation antennas.
Docking and Welcoming Ceremony at ISS
The spacecraft is anticipated to rendezvous with the International Space Station in slightly over three hours, with docking at the Prichal module scheduled for a few minutes past 5 a.m. Following standard leak checks to ensure a secure seal, the hatches are expected to open around 7:20 a.m.
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Awaiting their arrival are the current ISS crew members: Soyuz MS-26/72S astronauts Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner, and NASA’s Donald Pettit, along with SpaceX Crew 10’s commander Anne McClain, NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers, Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi, and cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.
Crew Rotation and Extended Mission Duration
Ryzhikov, Zubritsky, and Kim are replacing Ovchinin, Vagner, and Pettit, who were launched to the ISS on Sept. 11 and are scheduled to return to Earth aboard their Soyuz on April 19, concluding a 219-day mission in space.
The Crew 10 team, who launched on March 14, succeeded Crew 9—comprising Nick Hague, cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov, and Starliner astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams—who returned to Earth on March 18.
Traditionally, space station crews typically serve six-month rotations in the orbiting laboratory. However, beginning with Kim’s mission, the Russian space agency is extending Soyuz missions to eight months to accumulate further data on the impacts of prolonged space habitation.
Consequently, Ryzhikov, Zubritsky, and Kim are slated to return to Earth around December 9.
Jonny Kim’s Diverse Background
In a pre-flight interview, Jonny Kim, son of South Korean immigrants and a father of three, recounted his early aspiration to become a Navy SEAL at age 16. He achieved this goal, participating in over 100 combat operations with SEAL Team Three during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
“To me, it is the strongest calling I’ve ever had in my life, even to this day,” Kim stated. “I’ve had additional callings in life. But it was really that first calling I had to be a SEAL that I will remember for the rest of my life. Because it was the first time that I felt I had a purpose, and I had a dream.”
From Navy SEAL to Astronaut
Kim elaborated on his definition of a warrior: “But to me, a warrior is someone that is in continued pursuit of excellence in their craft. It doesn’t have to be combat. It can be in medicine. It can be as a NASA astronaut. It can be in politics. It can be anything.”
“But it’s someone who’s passionate and in pursuit of continued excellence. And the reason why it just resonated so well with me is because it was everything I wasn’t at the time, but I wanted to be.”
Transition to Medicine and Space Exploration
Reflecting on his transition from combat, Kim mentioned experiencing burnout and loss, driving him to seek new avenues for service, leading him to medicine. Already a combat medic veteran, Kim gained acceptance to Harvard Medical School.
He consciously aimed to ensure his past as a SEAL did not define his medical career, desiring to be recognized for his medical skills. “I ensured that the people I worked with in the hospital didn’t know I was previously a SEAL, because I wanted my patients, I wanted my colleagues to think of me as dependable and proficient and a good physician. Not because I used to be a SEAL, but because that’s who I was.”
Towards the end of medical school, Kim’s interest in space was ignited after watching the test flight of NASA’s Orion spacecraft in 2015. Meeting former astronaut Scott Parazynski further inspired him to apply to NASA’s astronaut program.
From an applicant pool of 18,000 for the 2017 class, NASA selected just 12, Kim among them.
Soyuz Training and International Collaboration
Kim identified learning Russian as the most challenging part of training for the Soyuz mission. However, he noted the strong camaraderie with his Russian crewmates.
“We are friends. I mean, we’re very, very professional,” Kim commented. “We work well together. … I’ve had Alexey and Sergey over for dinner and they’ve done the same thing for me. So our relationships are personal and there’s a lot of trust and friendship there.”
Regarding flying in the Soyuz, a long-serving spacecraft, Kim expressed admiration for its proven reliability. “The amount of testing and the reliability the Soyuz has shown over decades is unsurpassed and is absolutely admirable.”
During his ISS stay, Kim hopes for a spacewalk opportunity, remaining ready to contribute in any capacity needed. “The modern day astronaut is a jack of all trades,” he stated. “You know, we train to do spacewalks. We train to support space walks, train to do research. One day we might be plumbers or mechanics, we might be technicians repairing a radio or we might be pipetting various fluids into other fluids for research.”
“So it’s kind of all of the above, whatever the demands that the space station need at a time.”