Naoko Yamazaki

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) • Astronaut General Manager of Vast Japan, and Council Member of The Earthshot Prize • Astronaut

Naoko Yamazaki was born in 1970 in Matsudo City, Chiba.

She is an astronaut and space policy expert.

In 1999, she was selected as an astronaut candidate, and was certified as an astronaut in 2001.

Naoko earned a master of engineering degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Tokyo in 1996, then started working for Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). In 1999, she was selected as an astronaut candidate, and went on to qualify as a Soyuz-TMA Flight Engineer in 2004 and NASA Mission Specialist in 2006.

In 2010, she participated in the STS-131 mission aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery as a Mission Specialist, where she orchestrated cargo transfer work and operated the International Space Station’s robotic arm. YAMAZAKI and NOGUCHI Soichi - who was part of the crew for the long-term missions Expedition 22 and 23 - became the first Japanese astronauts to stay on-orbit at the same time, undertaking various joint projects in the process. Yamazaki retired from JAXA in 2011 and has served as a member of the Japan Space Policy Committee since 2012, a Chairman of “Sorajo (Women in Aerospace)” under the Japan Rocket Society since 2015 and a representative director and co-founder of the Space Port Japan Association since 2018.

Naoko is a General Manager of Vast Japan, and Council Member of The Earthshot Prize.

Events

International Astronautical Congress 2026

5 - 9 October 2026

Antalya, Türkiye

Participation: