Japanese veteran astronaut Koichi Wakata has announced his appointment as an astronaut and chief technical officer for the Asia-Pacific region at Axiom Space Inc., a U.S. startup planning to develop the world's first commercial space station.
"Looking forward to expanding global partnerships for the advancement of commercial space activities," the 60-year-old Wakata said Monday in a post on social media platform X. He retired from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency at the end of March after going on a record five space missions.
Houston-based Axiom Space, established in 2016, provides spaceflight services for humans and plans to develop and operate a commercial space station in the late 2020s as a successor to the International Space Station, which is expected to be retired around 2030.
Axiom Space Chief Astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria said in a press release on Monday, "We're honored and excited to have (Wakata) join the team as a future commander of private astronaut missions, as well as a technical expert and leader, advancing commercial space development and promoting global partnership."
Wakata, who went on space missions in 1996, 2000, 2009, 2013 and 2022, spent a total of 504 days in space, a record for a Japanese. He became the first Japanese to take part in construction of the ISS and also served as its commander in 2014, a first for a Japanese.
