Koichi Wakata

Koichi Wakata

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

Nationality Japanese

Date Of Birth 1963-08-01

Status Active

Type Government


Astronaut Biography

Koichi Wakata (若田 光一 Wakata Kōichi, born 1 August 1963) is a Japanese engineer and a JAXA astronaut. Wakata is a veteran of four NASA Space Shuttle missions, a Russian Soyuz mission, and a long-duration stay on the International Space Station. During a nearly two-decade career in spaceflight, he has logged more than eleven months in space. During Expedition 39, he became the first Japanese commander of the International Space Station. Wakata flew on the Soyuz TMA-11M/Expedition 38/Expedition 39 long duration spaceflight from 7 November 2013 to 13 May 2014. During this spaceflight he was accompanied by Kirobo, the first humanoid robot astronaut.

Koichi Wakata's Launches

Falcon 9 Block 5 | Crew-5

SpaceX
Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
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Soyuz FG | Soyuz TMA-11M

Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS)
Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
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Space Shuttle Discovery / OV-103 | STS-119

United Space Alliance
Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
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Space Shuttle Discovery / OV-103 | STS-92

Lockheed Space Operations Company
Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
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Space Shuttle Endeavour / OV-105 | STS-72

Lockheed Martin Space Operations
Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
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