Hoshide to become commander of International Space Station in 2020

Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide will be onboard the International Space Station for about six months from around May 2020 and serve as commander of the ISS during the latter part of his stay, Japan's space agency said Friday.It will be the 49-year-old engineer's third trip to space following his missions in 2008 and 2012, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. He will be the second Japanese commander of the ISS after Koichi Wakata, 54, who played the role for two months from March 2014.Hoshide's missions at the ISS include the maintenance of facilities, conducting scientifi…READ FULL ARTICLE