Soyuz TMA-05M launched 2012

Soyuz TMA-05M crew (L-R): Yuri Malenchenko, Sunita Williams, Akihiko Hoshide

Soyuz TMA-05M, launched July 15, 2012, carried the members of Expedition 32 crew to the International Space Station.  Its crew consisted of Commander Yuri Malenchenko, Sunita Williams, and Akihiko Hoshide. The crew participated in Expedition 32 and Expedition 33, before returning to Earth November 19, 2012.

SpaceX Crew-2 launched today!

SpaceX Crew-2 (L-R): Megan McArthur, Thomas Pesquet, Akihiko Hoshide, Shane Kimbrough

Mission patch

SpaceX Crew-2 was launched this morning just before 6am.  Its crew consists of Commander Shane Kimbrough, Pilot Megan McArthur, Akihiko Hoshide (JAXA), and Thomas Pesquet (ESA).  They are expected to dock with the International Space Station tomorrow morning.

They are planned to undock and return to Earth in October 2021.

Soyuz TMA-06M (Expedition 33) launched 2012

Soyuz TMA-06M crew (L-R): Kevin Ford, Oleg Novitskiy and Evgeny Tarelkin

Mission patch

Soyuz TMA-06M, launched October 23, 2012, carried members of Expedition 33 to the International Space Station.  The crew consisted of Commander Oleg Novitskiy, Evgeny Tarelkin and Kevin Ford (NASA).

They greeted the residents of the ISS Sunita Williams, Yuri Malenchenko and Akihiko Hoshide.  They remained on board until March 2013 when they returned to Earth.

Discovery (STS-124) launched 2008

STS-124 crew (L-R): Gregory Chamitoff, Michael Fossum, Kenneth Ham, Mark Kelly, Karen Nyberg, Ronald Garan and Akihiko Hoshide

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-124), launched May 31, 2008, delivered the Japanese Experiment Module called Kibo to the International Space Station.  Its crew consisted of Commander Mark Kelly, Pilot Kenneth Ham, Karen Nyberg, Ronald Garan, Michael Fossum, Akihiko Hoshide (JAXA) and Gregory Chamitoff.

The crew also delivered replacement parts for a malfunctioning toilet on the ISS.

They returned to Earth on June 14.

Happy birthday, JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide!

Akihiko Hoshide, born December 28, 1968 in Tokyo, Japan, has flown on the Space Shuttle and Soyuz to the International Space Station.  He is the third Japanese astronaut to conduct an EVA. 

His first mission was aboard Discovery (STS-124) May-June 2008 as a mission specialist.

His second flight was aboard Soyuz TMA-05M, launched in July 2012 to the ISS as part of Expeditions 32 and 33. It was during this time he performed EVAs with Suni Williams.

In 2014, he commanded NEEMO 18, an undersea exploration mission at NASA's Aquarius underwater laboratory.