Astronaut Jonny Kim departed NASA's Johnson Space Center on Thursday, Aug. 27. He is returning to active duty as a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy after nearly a decade at the Clear Lake-area facility.
Kim spent his entire NASA career based at JSC, where he trained, served in Mission Control, and launched to the International Space Station. He is heading back to naval aviation training, though NASA did not name his next duty station.
"Jonny has been an integral part of the agency, and his immeasurable impact will be felt for generations to come," Vanessa Wyche, director of Johnson Space Center, said in a NASA statement. "… His exceptional talent, determination, and grit will leave a lasting legacy at NASA."
Eight months in orbit
Kim launched aboard the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft in April 2025 as a flight engineer for Expeditions 72 and 73. Over eight months, he orbited Earth 3,920 times and traveled nearly 104 million miles before landing safely in Kazakhstan in December 2025.
During the second half of Expedition 73, Kim led U.S. Operating Segment operations across the station's international modules. He commanded the Canadarm2 robotic arm during the first-ever capture of Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL spacecraft, securing 11,000 pounds of supplies. The station also hit a milestone under his watch: every available docking port occupied for the first time in 25 years.
From SEAL to surgeon to space
Kim was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2017. His path to JSC wound through combat, medicine, and flight school.
Born in Los Angeles, Kim enlisted in the Navy after high school in 2002. He completed Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training and joined SEAL Team Three. Over more than 100 combat operations, he served as a medic, sniper, navigator, and point man, earning the Silver Star and Bronze Star with Combat "V."
He later earned a mathematics degree from the University of San Diego and a medical degree from Harvard Medical School. He completed his internship at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Kim became a dual-designated naval aviator and flight surgeon, completing training at Naval Air Stations Corpus Christi in Texas and Whiting Field in Florida.
At JSC, Kim served as a capsule communicator (capcom) in Mission Control, contributed to Artemis program development, led the astronaut crew operations branch, and served as increment lead for Expedition 65.
Scott Tingle, chief of the Astronaut Office at Johnson Space Center, said Kim approached every assignment "with humility, precision, and steadfast commitment to the mission."
What's next
Kim said in the NASA announcement that serving the agency had been "the honor of a lifetime" and that he looks forward to carrying lessons from the past decade into his next chapter. His specific Navy assignment has not been disclosed.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said Kim's ISS contributions "advanced critical science that will shape NASA's future missions for decades to come."
Upcoming at JSC
President Trump is scheduled to award the Artemis II crew a Congressional Space Medal of Honor at Johnson Space Center this week.
