23.10.2024

Astronaut candidates Ayu Yoneda and Makoto Suwa become officially certified as Japan's youngest and oldest astronauts at the time of certification, with the sky being the limit on their future space missions. 

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency announced on Oct. 22 that Yoneda, 29, and Suwa, 47, had completed their training both in and outside Japan. 

"I want to become an astronaut who can inspire children with how fascinating space is," Yoneda said at a news conference in Tokyo on Oct. 23.

Suwa also told of his aspirations, saying, "I feel relieved. I want to contribute to the developments in space, which is in a period of transition."

In the JAXA announcement, Norishige Kanai, the head of the astronauts group at JAXA, said, “I’m truly pleased that the two were certified as astronauts, as I have witnessed their efforts while being close to them during their basic training” 

Kanai added, “Let’s pave the way for human space exploration of the new era together.”

The two beat long odds in 2023 as JAXA openly recruited astronauts for the first time since 2009. 

The agency received a record 4,127 applicants during the open call for candidates, eventually choosing Yoneda and Suwa. 

With the two joining, the total number of astronauts who have belonged to JAXA increased to 13. Seven of the 13 are currently active while the other six have retired.

The two will continue to undergo training while waiting to be deployed on space missions.

There is a possibility that they could become the first Japanese to land on the moon if they are assigned to NASA's Artemis program, a manned lunar probe mission. 

Yoneda formerly worked for the Japanese Red Cross Medical Center as a surgeon, while Suwa was employed for the World Bank as a senior disaster risk management specialist.

Quelle: The Asahi Shimbun