Makoto Suwa
Makoto Suwa | |
|---|---|
| 諏訪 理 | |
| Born | 1977 (age 48–49) Tokyo, Japan |
| Education | |
| Space career | |
| JAXA astronaut | |
Previous occupation | Climate scientist, World Bank |
| Selection | 2023 JAXA Group |
Makoto Suwa (Japanese: 諏訪 理, Hepburn: Suwa Makoto; born 1977 in Tokyo) is a Japanese climate scientist and astronaut with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
Early life
Suwa was born in Tokyo in 1977 and grew up in Tsukuba, Ibaraki.[1][2][3] At a young age he visited the Expo 85 held at Tsukuba.[4] While in elementary school he travelled to NASA where he met Apollo astronaut Gene Cernan.[2][5]
Education and career
Suwa graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1999. He received a Ph.D. in climate science from Princeton University, and a master of environment management degree from Duke University.[6][2] In 2008 he joined the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers and was dispatched to Rwanda, where he served as a lecturer at the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology.[7][6] He then worked for the World Meteorological Organization, both at its Geneva headquarters and Office for Eastern and Southern Africa at Nairobi, Kenya.[6] From 2014 he worked at the World Bank's Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery; at the time of his astronaut selection he held the role of Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist.[7][8]
On 28 February 2022, JAXA selected Suwa as an astronaut candidate alongside Ayu Yoneda.[2] Chosen at the age of 46, he is the oldest JAXA astronaut candidate at the time of selection.[4][5] He completed basic training and was certified for flight by JAXA on October 21, 2024.[9]
On September 2025, Suwa participated in the ESA CAVES 2025 course held in the Matese mountains in the Italian Apennines.
On 9 January 2025, JAXA announced that Suwa would be assigned to a long-duration mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2027.[10]
References
- ^ "JAXA宇宙飛行士候補者（2021～2022年度 募集・選抜）の決定について" (Press release) (in Japanese). JAXA. February 28, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "新たな宇宙飛行士誕生へ ～"最難関"の試験を突破した ２人の素顔に迫る～". NHK (in Japanese). February 28, 2023. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
- ^ "宇宙飛行士選抜合格2人を発表 諏訪さんは茨城・つくば市出身、土浦一高卒 「しっかり仕事していく」". Ibaraki Shimbun (in Japanese). February 28, 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
- ^ a b "宇宙飛行士候補 茨城県育ちで国際機関勤務の男性など２人". NHK (in Japanese). February 28, 2023. Archived from the original on February 28, 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
- ^ a b "2千倍の難関突破 宇宙飛行士候補2人が意気込み". The Nikkei (in Japanese). February 28, 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
- ^ a b c "諏訪理 世界銀行 防災グローバルファシリティ（GFDRR）上級防災専門官～第44回 世銀スタッフの横顔インタビュー" (in Japanese). World Bank. 7 July 2016. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
- ^ a b "JAXA宇宙飛行士候補者（2021～2022年度 募集・選抜）の決定について" (Press release) (in Japanese). JAXA. February 28, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
- ^ "宇宙飛行士合格2人が会見 諏訪さん「大変しあわせ」米田さん「喜びと同時に驚き」". Fuji News Network (in Japanese). February 28, 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
- ^ "米田あゆ・諏訪理の宇宙飛行士認定について" [Regarding the certification of Ayu Yoneda and Satoshi Suwa as astronauts]. JAXA (Press release) (in Japanese). October 22, 2024. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
- ^ "国際宇宙ステーション（ISS）長期滞在搭乗員の指名" [JAXA Astronaut Suwa Makoto Assigned as a Member of the ISS Expedition Crew]. JAXA (in Japanese). 2026-01-09. Retrieved 2026-01-21.