NASA astronaut Jonny Kim will leave the agency on Thursday after his scientific mission aboard the International Space Station. Kim will continue serving as a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy.
Kim, who reached the station aboard Soyuz MS‑27 in April 2025, served as a flight engineer as part of Expeditions 72/73. During the mission, he completed 3,920 orbits around Earth, traveled approximately 104 million miles and contributed to various scientific studies. In the second half of Expedition 73, he managed operations in the international modules; he supported the capture of the Cygnus XL spacecraft with Canadarm2 and the transfer of 11,000 pounds of supplies to the station. Kim returned to Kazakhstan in December 2025 and had been selected as a NASA astronaut in 2017.
Why it matters
The end of Kim’s service at NASA marks a transition period in which he will continue his military career after his experience as an astronaut. The responsibilities within the mission show that work aboard the ISS consists not only of scientific research but also of technical and logistical processes such as capturing vehicles, transferring supplies and conducting module operations. For this reason, his departure highlights not only the change in Kim’s personal career but also the multifaceted role played by experienced personnel in station missions. However, the available information does not explain whether Kim will continue any future mission or collaboration with NASA, or the nature of his responsibilities in his military role.
Background
NASA is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: in the past 90 days, we have published 10 news stories mentioning the name; the latest is dated August 27, 2026. This development will be added to those records in our archive; readers can follow the earlier articles bearing the same name through the archive to see the timeline as a whole.