Arab News Japan

Japanese astronaut Noguchi Soichi is set to board a next-generation spacecraft developed by US company SpaceX, said Japan’s Science and Technology Ministry Tuesday, according to Japanese news outlet NHK.

The Ministry announced that Noguchi and three American astronauts will be on the first flight on the ‘Crew Dragon’, in its operational phase.

NHK reported that the spaceship already accomplished an unmanned flight and is scheduled to conduct a trial before its operational phase.

There is no official date for the launch of the Crew Dragon yet, according to officials.

Noguchi, who was born in Yokohama, flew to the ISS on a Russian Soyuz and stayed in space for about five months in 2009.

The Japanese astronaut also earlier went to the International Space Station aboard a US space shuttle and helped in the assembling of the station in 2005.

He will become the first Japanese astronaut to fly on a private spacecraft.