Japanese astronaut Suwa will fly to the space station

An astronaut^*1 from Japan is going to space for the first time. JAXA, the space agency^*2 of Japan, announced that astronaut Makoto Suwa will fly to the International Space Station. He will stay there for a long time.

Suwa will ride on a spacecraft^*3 called Crew Dragon. This will be the 14th regular flight of Crew Dragon. It will also be Suwa's first trip into space.

Right now, Suwa is training and getting ready for his long stay. He said that he still has a lot of training to do before the launch^*4. He also said that he wants to bring his experiences and feelings from space back to Earth and share them with many people.

The launch is planned for March 2027 or later. JAXA has not chosen the day yet. It will tell people the date when it is decided.

1. *1 astronaut: a person who travels into space
2. *2 space agency: a part of a government that sends rockets and people into space
3. *3 spacecraft: a vehicle that carries people or things into space
4. *4 launch: the moment when a rocket leaves the ground and goes up into space