Overview
- Kim officially left NASA on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, ending nearly nine years with the agency and returning to active U.S. Navy duty as a lieutenant commander.
- He flew to the International Space Station in April 2025 for Expeditions 72/73, spent 245 days in orbit, completed 3,920 orbits and nearly 104 million miles, and carried out science across technology, Earth science, biology, and human research.
- During Expedition 73 Kim served as the U.S. Operating Segment lead, commanded the Canadarm2 to capture Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL, and helped oversee station operations when every available docking port was occupied.
- Before NASA Kim served as a Navy SEAL and then trained as a physician at Harvard and as a naval aviator and flight surgeon, a mix of skills that NASA credited with strengthening mission operations and crew support.
- His return to military service removes a high‑profile operational leader from the astronaut corps and points to a common path for officer‑astronauts; observers should watch his naval aviation training and whether his experience feeds back into future military or spaceflight roles.