Mr Wakata, 50, had been a space station flight engineer since he and two crew mates arrived on November 7. <\/p>\n
\"I am humbled to assume the command of the space station,\" Mr Wakata said during a change-of-command ceremony broadcast on NASA Television. <\/p>\n
So far, four Japanese astronauts have served as space station crew members, including Mr Wakata, who previously flew in 2009, Mr Wakata also is a veteran of two space shuttle missions. <\/p>\n
One of his first tasks as commander will be to oversee the arrival of a Space Exploration Technologies' Dragon cargo ship which is due to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida next Sunday and reach the station on March 18. <\/p>\n
The station, a $100 billion research laboratory, flies about 260 miles above Earth. It has been permanently staffed by rotating crews of astronauts and cosmonauts since November 2000. <\/p>\n
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First ever Japanese astronaut takes charge of International Space Station<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Mr Wakata, 50, had been a space station flight engineer since he and two crew mates arrived on November 7. \"I am humbled to assume the command of the space station,\" Mr Wakata said during a change-of-command ceremony broadcast on NASA Television. So far, four Japanese astronauts have served as space station crew members, including Mr Wakata, who previously flew in 2009, Mr Wakata also is a veteran of two space shuttle missions. Continue reading