Norishige Kanai

Norishige Kanai (December 5, 1976) is a Japanese astronaut from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). He was selected as an astronaut candidate by JAXA in 2009, and his first spaceflight was as a crew member on Expedition 54/Expedition 55 to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2017-2018.

Early life and education

Kanai was born in Tokyo, Japan. He graduated from the National Defense Medical College in 2002. After graduation, he worked as a surgeon at the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) Central Hospital.

Career

In 2009, Kanai was selected as one of the astronaut candidates by JAXA. He completed his astronaut training in July 2011 and was certified as an International Space Station (ISS) astronaut in September 2011.

Kanai's first spaceflight was as a flight engineer for Expedition 54/55 to the ISS. He launched aboard the Soyuz MS-07 spacecraft on December 17, 2017, and returned to Earth on June 3, 2018. During his time on the ISS, Kanai conducted various scientific experiments and maintenance work.

Personal life

Kanai is married and has two children. He enjoys scuba diving, skiing, and mountain climbing in his free time.

See also

• List of astronauts by year of selection
• List of International Space Station expeditions