Science

Japanese Astronaut Onishi, 3 Others Aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 Lift Off; 3rd Japanese to Serve as ISS Commander

Yusuke Tomiyama/The Yomiuri Shimbun
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Crew Dragon spacecraft lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Friday.

By Yusuke Tomiyama / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

15:49 JST, March 15, 2025

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Takuya Onishi and three other astronauts aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft successfully lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday.

The spacecraft was successfully separated from the rocket about 10 minutes after the launch at around 7:05 p.m.

Onishi and the U.S. and Russian astronauts are scheduled to arrive Saturday at the International Space Station, about 400 kilometers above Earth, where they will stay for about six months.

Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will assume the role of ISS commander during the stay, becoming the third Japanese national to serve in the post, following Koichi Wakata, 61, and Akihiko Hoshide, 56.

AP
Crew10 members, from left, Kirill Peskov, Nichole Ayers, Anne McClain and Takuya Onishi, leave the Operations and Checkout building at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Friday for a mission to the International Space Station.

This is the second time for the 49-year-old Onishi to go into space and stay on the ISS since 2016, when he also stayed for an extended period.

“I’m embracing the sensation of zero gravity for the first time in nine years,” Onishi said from the spacecraft. “I want to enjoy my journey through space to the ISS.”

Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, 55, is also scheduled to take part in a long-term mission aboard the ISS this year or later.