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Takuya Onishi Reaches ISS on Crew Dragon; Starts Half-Year as Commander

From the NASA live video broadcast
Takuya Onishi is welcomed by astronauts from various countries as he arrives at the International Space Station on Sunday Japan time.

By Yusuke Tomiyama / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

16:32 JST, March 16, 2025

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — Takuya Onishi reached the International Space Station on Sunday Japan time, starting his half-year stay as the station’s commander.

The Crew Dragon spacecraft carrying Onishi and three other American and Russian astronauts docked with the ISS at 1:05 p.m. Sunday, the day after it was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

This is the second time for the 49-year-old Onishi to stay on the ISS, and his first stint as its commander.

Onishi belongs to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. During his stay, he will conduct experiments utilizing microgravity on the Kibo module.

After arriving at the ISS, Onishi said through a live video broadcast, “Thank you to everyone in Japan for your support. I’ve returned to the ISS in good spirits. Starting tomorrow, I’ll work hard again on various tasks.”