Koichi Wakata
Koichi Wakata (若田 光一, Wakata Kōichi, born 1 August 1963) is a Japanese engineer and an astronaut working for Axiom Space. He retired from JAXA in 2024. Wakata is a veteran of four NASA Space Shuttle missions, a Russian Soyuz mission, and a long-duration stay on the International Space Station. During a nearly two-decade career in spaceflight, he has logged more than eleven months in space. During Expedition 39, he became the first Japanese commander of the International Space Station. Wakata flew on the Soyuz TMA-11M/Expedition 38/Expedition 39 long duration spaceflight from 7 November 2013 to 13 May 2014. During this spaceflight he was accompanied by Kirobo, the first humanoid robot astronaut. As of 2023, he is the longest active astronaut in the world.
Koichi Wakata | |
|---|---|
| 若田 光一 | |
Wakata in 2022 | |
| Born | 1 August 1963 Ōmiya, Saitama, Japan |
| Occupation | Structural Engineer |
| Space career | |
| NASDA/JAXA astronaut | |
Time in space | 504 days, 18 hours and 33 minutes |
| Selection | 1992 NASDA Group |
Total EVAs | 2 |
Total EVA time | 14 hours, 2 minutes |
| Missions | STS-72, STS-92, STS-119/127 (Expedition 18/19/20), Soyuz TMA-11M (Expedition 38/39), SpaceX Crew-5 (Expedition 68) |
Mission insignia | |
| Retirement | March 31, 2024 |