NASA held interviews with Jonny Kim on March 19, 2025

The interviews streamed live from Star City, Russia, on NASA+.

[{"selector":"#anim-3a87e760-f8ff-4d95-8049-c04711913ce4","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-07118a6b-7f3a-40e8-8e75-15de2443109e","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-2c78d98d-e322-44d0-9d0a-9e5519274a90 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-10.833333095671517%, 0, 0) translate(-25%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0) translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"fill":"forwards"}] Image: NASA

Kim will head to the ISS in April for his first space mission.

[{"selector":"#anim-b8434ca3-ec83-4808-b520-8af7d37364bf","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e617cc4c-4659-48e2-b9b7-e249fca53bd9","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-91f2c7ba-ad87-4779-aa0e-5f9e98a9f8be [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-10.833333095671517%, 0, 0) translate(-25%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0) translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"fill":"forwards"}] Image: Gettyimage

Launch set for April 8 on the Soyuz MS-27 with two cosmonauts.

[{"selector":"#anim-2e60df54-6d65-4a26-bc71-cdc5edcccfe6","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-6d976936-1763-42bf-aa49-3a6b0492826f","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e6f8ac63-fa12-4caf-b843-0619d47f5983 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-10.833333095671517%, 0, 0) translate(-25%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0) translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"fill":"forwards"}] Image: Jonny Kim

They’ll spend 8 months conducting research on the space station.

[{"selector":"#anim-8d5a4ba3-cb5f-4c7f-80d4-820338adb113","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-6caeb511-7829-4500-b54d-273d65960efa","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-168b8415-5423-420a-9324-ce5a446f2296 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-10.833333095671517%, 0, 0) translate(-25%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0) translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"fill":"forwards"}] Image: Gettyimage

Kim, a Navy SEAL, graduated from Harvard Medical School.

[{"selector":"#anim-fd8d08e5-378f-40b9-a0b7-e7bed5fc1aa8","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-3c65cbf2-4a4d-4075-8c9f-96393f68cc00","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-24feb419-055b-4612-93c4-8b6b97427b46 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-10.833333095671517%, 0, 0) translate(-25%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0) translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"fill":"forwards"}] Image: Wikipedia

The mission aims to prepare for future space explorations.

[{"selector":"#anim-b2b907cd-35ae-43d8-a91b-d8097fa3cdc0 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-53.09399046383978%, 0, 0) translate(-25%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0) translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-fbfbfbde-00bb-4a0c-95d6-310fef7c35b1","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-f0d0f1a2-55e8-45b5-9c2b-b97218323167","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Image: NASA

Their return is scheduled for fall 2025.

[{"selector":"#anim-acbb11b6-6a69-4671-a46d-334d60e406ae [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-17.173203610557465%, 0, 0) translate(-25%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0) translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-b524d485-4f4c-4acd-bb4c-3474160b62ed","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-2015d0f0-1440-4374-a5db-c5e3d632392b","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Image: Unsplash

The ISS has been a hub for human research for over two decades.

[{"selector":"#anim-240e8cc1-394a-4d23-9ab6-884bbe2f8cc9 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-31.249999886225726%, 0, 0) translate(-25%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0) translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-45b0e0eb-4f78-4dd6-bd37-889c03f63b31","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-4391b74c-5573-4f89-9202-b11b302ec96c","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Image: Unsplash

NASA is now focusing on Moon and Mars missions.

[{"selector":"#anim-bb8203f4-97d7-415a-b8f0-0871587d55ee","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-2d66e966-c4ef-418d-b85b-8a832c0ea3e8","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-290022c8-195d-45e2-bfdc-0a4cb283d9e8 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-10.833333095671517%, 0, 0) translate(-25%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0) translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"fill":"forwards"}] Image: Gettyimage