Astronauts Soichi Noguchi and Akihiko Hoshide held a press conference Monday night aboard the International Space Station, with Noguchi presenting Hoshide with a sash he had prepared.
The privately owned U.S. spacecraft Crew Dragon carrying Hoshide and three other astronauts docked with the ISS shortly after 6 p.m. on Saturday. Hoshide is set to be the captain of the ISS for the first time.
"The first thing I felt was gratitude for the smiles of my fellow astronauts. I hope we can work together well during my stay," he said. Noguchi offered encouragement, telling Hoshide, "Good luck."
Noguchi is set to return to Earth on Wednesday night via a Crew Dragon capsule, having completed a six-month stay from November last year. The capsule was to splash down off Florida early Thursday.
"The time has flown by, thanks to the excellent missions I conducted with my colleagues," Noguchi said. "I want to stay focused until the end, like a school trip [which should end with the kids returning safely]."
It was the first time in 11 years that two astronauts from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency have been on the ISS at the same time. Noguchi and then astronaut Naoko Yamazaki were both on the space station in 2010.
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