Kimiya Yui
Kimiya Yui is a JAXA astronaut and retired Japan Air Self-Defense Force officer whose career bridges Soyuz-era ISS and the era. He was the first Japanese astronaut selected from a military pilot background.
- Born
- January 30, 1970
- Died
- N/A
- Birthplace
- Kawakami, Nagano Prefecture,Japan
Flights
2
Spacewalks
N/A
EVA time
N/A
In space
308 days, 9 hours, 6 minutes
Bio
Yui graduated from the National Defense Academy of Japan and served as a fighter pilot and test pilot before his JAXA selection in 2009. Because Japan separates military and scientific roles in a distinctive way, his astronaut selection required him to retire from active military service.
His first spaceflight, Soyuz TMA-17M, took him to the ISS for Expeditions 44 and 45. He later returned on SpaceX Crew-11, serving during Expeditions 73 and 74 and extending JAXA participation into later Crew Dragon operations. The expedition labels explain where he worked aboard the station, but they should not be counted as separate launches.