Jonny Kim leaves NASA to return to naval aviation training

Technology Aug 28, 2026

Jonny Kim, the NASA astronaut who's also a Navy SEAL and Harvard-trained doctor, is leaving NASA after nine years to return to active duty in naval aviation training.

He spent 245 days on the International Space Station in 2025, running science experiments and helping push space tech forward.

SEAL veteran and NASA CAPCOM

Kim joined NASA's "Turtles" class in 2017 and brought serious credentials: over 100 combat missions as a SEAL, plus major awards like the Silver Star.

At NASA, he worked on the Artemis program and helped run ISS operations as CAPCOM.

Johnson Space Center's director called him "exceptional," while Kim said his time at NASA was "the honor of a lifetime" and he hopes to use what he learned for future service and progress.