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.

Space Shuttle Endeavour / OV-105 | STS-72

National Aeronautics and Space Administration | USA
Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
Jan. 11, 1996, 9:41 a.m.

Status: Success

Mission:

STS-72 was a Space Shuttle Endeavour mission to capture and return to Earth a Japanese 16 spacecraft known as Space Flyer Unit (SFU). The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida on 11 January 1996.

Low Earth Orbit

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Space Shuttle Discovery / OV-103 | STS-92

National Aeronautics and Space Administration | USA
Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
Oct. 11, 2000, 11:17 p.m.

Status: Success

Mission:

STS-92 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) flown by Space Shuttle Discovery. STS-92 marked the 100th mission of the Space Shuttle.

Low Earth Orbit

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Space Shuttle Discovery / OV-103 | STS-119

National Aeronautics and Space Administration | USA
Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
March 15, 2009, 11:43 p.m.

Status: Success

Mission:

STS-119 (ISS assembly flight 15A) was a space shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) which was flown by Space Shuttle Discovery during March 2009. It delivered and assembled the fourth starboard Integrated Truss Segment (S6), and the fourth set of solar arrays and batteries to the station.

Low Earth Orbit

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Space Shuttle Endeavour / OV-105 | STS-127

National Aeronautics and Space Administration | USA
Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
July 15, 2009, 10:03 p.m.

Status: Success

Mission:

STS-127 (ISS assembly flight 2J/A) was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS). It was the twenty-third flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour. The primary purpose of the STS-127 mission was to deliver and install the final two components of the Japanese Experiment Module: the Exposed Facility (JEM EF), and the Exposed Section of the Experiment Logistics Module (ELM-ES). When Endeavour docked with the ISS on this mission in July 2009, it set a record for the most humans in space at the same time in the same vehicle, the first time thirteen people have been at the station at the same time. It also tied the record of thirteen people in space at any one time.

Low Earth Orbit

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Soyuz FG | Soyuz TMA-11M

Progress Rocket Space Center | RUS
Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
Nov. 7, 2013, 4:14 a.m.

Status: Success

Mission:

Soyuz TMA-11M begins expedition 38 by carrying 3 astronauts and cosmonauts to the International Space Station. Russian Commander, cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin alongside Flight Engineers, Richard Mastracchio (NASA) & Koichi Wakata (JAXA) will launch aboard the Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and then rendezvous with the station. It landed on 14 May 2014 at 01:58 UTC

Low Earth Orbit

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Falcon 9 Block 5 | Crew-5

SpaceX | USA
Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
Oct. 5, 2022, 4 p.m.

Status: Success

Mission:

SpaceX Crew-5 is the fifth crewed operational flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

Low Earth Orbit B1077 - Maiden Flight Just Read the Instructions

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