Akihiko Hoshide

Akihiko Hoshide (born 28 November 1968 in Yamagata, Japan) is a retired Japanese astronaut and engineer. He earned a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering (1992) and a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering (1999) from the University of Tokyo. Selected by NASDA in 1999 (Group 4), Hoshide joined the Japanese Astronaut Corps in 2001. He flew on three space missions: STS‑124 (2008) as a mission specialist on the Discovery shuttle, Soyuz TMA‑05M (2012) for Expedition 32/33 aboard the International Space Station, and SpaceX Crew‑2 (2021) as a flight engineer for Expedition 65/66. Hoshide performed four spacewalks totaling 4 hours 47 minutes 59 seconds, contributing to ISS assembly and maintenance. He retired from JAXA in 2022 after a distinguished career that included leadership roles in mission planning and international cooperation. Hoshide is known for his interests in photography, scuba diving, cooking, and piano playing.