Jonny Kim departed NASA today, August 27, 2026. After nearly ten years with the agency, the astronaut, naval aviator, doctor, and former SEAL is heading back to active duty as a Lieutenant Commander.
This is the close of one chapter and the start of another, and his impressive record still does most of the talking. He enlisted out of high school in 2002, trained as a hospital corpsman, made it through BUD/S, and joined SEAL Team 3. Across more than 100 combat operations he worked as medic, sniper, navigator, and point man in some of the warโs hardest years, coming home with a Silver Star and a Bronze Star with Combat V.
Then he went to Harvard Medical School and practiced as an emergency physician. NASA selected him in 2017. In 2025 he launched on Soyuz MS-27 for a 245-day expedition on the International Space Station, circling Earth 3,920 times and covering nearly 104 million miles. He became the first Korean-American to serve aboard the station.
Agency leadership did not undersell the sendoff. Administrator Jared Isaacman called him someone who represents the very best of NASA, a person who kept stretching the edge of exploration while inspiring a great many others.
The chief of the Astronaut Office pointed to the humility, precision, and steady commitment he brought to every assignment. Officers detailed from the fleet to NASA and then sent back to their parent service is an established path. Kim is the latest to take it: from orbit back to Navy blue.
SEAL, doctor, astronaut, and now full time Navy again. Whatever follows is unlikely to be quiet.
Respect ๐ฑ
It was so much fun watching Kirby Smart and Mario Cristobal trading barbs last night. Matched the true spirit of the Spurrier Awards. It's also a nice reminder that college football is a game and be treated as such #UGA#TheU@DawgNation
Powerful: Texans star DE Will Anderson Jr. spoke at the San Quentin State Prison to share the word of Jesus Christ with over 150 inmates.
30+ inmates accepted Jesus into their hearts, and 8 were baptized.
A true role model on and off the field โค๏ธ๐