The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) selected Astronaut Norishige Kanai as a crewmember for the 54th/55th Expedition Mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Astronaut Kanai was selected as an astronaut candidate in September 2009, and then, certified as an ISS astronaut in July 2011 after completion of all basic training requirements. Since then, he has been continuously maintaining and improving his qualities as an ISS astronaut through various training such as the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) conducted at theunderwater laboratory in the United States. For Astronaut Kanai, this long duration stay aboard the ISS will be his first space flight.
Period of scheduled stay at the ISS: About 6 months from around November 2017
Transportation to and from the ISS: Launch and return by Russian Soyuz spacecraft
Major tasks at the ISS: During the 54th/55th Expedition Mission, he will be in charge of ISS operations as a flight engineer, and science experiments using the space environment.
Astronaut Kanai’s schedule in the near future: He will begin training necessary for the Soyuz trip and ISS expedition mission from January 2016.
