Astronaut Soichi Noguchi on Friday talked about his desire to get involved with space tourism at his first press conference in Japan following his return to Earth in May.
"As an experienced astronaut, it is very likely that I will be involved with [development projects] that focus on the privatization of space to prepare for the space tourism age," the 56-year-old astronaut said at a press conference in Tokyo.
The U.S. private spacecraft Crew Dragon, which he was aboard, is scheduled to have tourists on board around this autumn.
Noguchi stayed on the International Space Station (ISS) from last November to May and was involved with experiments at Japan's Kibo laboratory module on the ISS.
He has conducted four Extravehicular Activities, a record among Japanese astronauts.
"I experienced some difficult situations as some things did not go to plan, but I was able to demonstrate my resilience and overcome them," he recalled.
After returning to Earth, he spent a month and a half at the Johnson Space Center in Texas. He has temporarily returned to Japan since mid-June.
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