Astronaut Takuya Onishi will serve as commander at the International Space Station from February at the earliest, becoming the third Japanese to assume the post, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said Monday.
Provided by Kyodo News
Onishi, a 48-year-old former All Nippon Airways pilot, will head to the ISS aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule with three American and Russian astronauts. It is his second stay on the station since 2016, and he is expected to stay there for six months.
"I'm not the type who stands in the lead," Onishi said in a statement, but added, "I'll do my job to the best of my ability."
He will take over as commander when the current ISS crew members return to Earth, JAXA said.
Two other Japanese astronauts, Koichi Wakata, 61, and Akihiko Hoshide, 55, served as ISS commanders in 2014 and 2021, respectively.