Breaking News: USD Alumnus Jonny Kim Becomes First Korean-American Astronaut in Space

Kim joins members of Expedition 72 aboard International Space Station

Jonathan “Jonny” Kim ’12 (BA) this morning became the first Korean-American astronaut to journey into space. Kim, a crew member aboard the Soyuz MS-27, floated through the hatch of the International Space Station (ISS) at 7:28 a.m. EST. 

A broad smile across his face, Kim was greeted by warm hugs from his colleagues. 

"Thank you so much. It's the dream of a lifetime and I'm honored to be here," Kim said in a video replying to ground control. 

Kim is serving as a flight engineer and crew member of NASA’s Expedition 73 mission. While aboard the orbiting laboratory, Kim will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to help prepare the crew for future space missions and provide benefits to people on Earth.

NASA selected Kim as an astronaut in 2017. After completing the initial astronaut candidate training, Kim supported mission and crew operations in various roles including the Expedition 65 lead operations officer, T-38 operations liaison, and space station capcom chief engineer.

Kim, a Los Angeles native, earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from USD and a medical degree from Harvard Medical School. He is a United States Navy lieutenant commander and dual designated naval aviator and flight surgeon. 

“I learned so many skills from the military, but I learned soft skills from my time at USD,” Kim said in 2021. “I learned how to communicate and how to appreciate the scientific method, which can be applied to any problem in life. Having the evidence show you the answer and having the humility to accept that you might be wrong. Those are principles to academia, but they’re also principles to being a good human being.”

As Kim prepared for this mission, he spoke about the oath all NASA astronauts swear to serve.

“Our motto is that we fly in space for the betterment of humankind.”

— Matthew Piechalak