若田さんの飛行、来秋に　日本人最多、５度目―ＪＡＸＡ

　宇宙航空研究開発機構（ＪＡＸＡ）は１２日、日本人最多となる５回目の宇宙飛行が決まっている若田光一さん（５８）について、来年秋ごろに米民間宇宙船「クルードラゴン」運用５号機に搭乗し、国際宇宙ステーション（ＩＳＳ）長期滞在に向かうと発表した。ＩＳＳ長期滞在は３度目で、これも日本人最多。（2021/10/12-11:33）

Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata will make his fifth flight into space around autumn next year, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, said Tuesday.
   Wakata, 58, will leave for the International Space Station on a long-term mission aboard SpaceX's fifth operational Crew Dragon spacecraft. The fifth space flight is a record for a Japanese astronaut.
   He will be the third Japanese astronaut to travel on a Crew Dragon capsule, following Soichi Noguchi, 56, and Akihiko Hoshide, 52.
   "It is an honor to board this new space vehicle for three consecutive years for JAXA astronauts," Wakata said in a comment released on JAXA's website.
   "I recognize remarkable developments in the space field and acknowledge dynamic activities by the private sector on the low Earth orbit," he said.