Joshua Kutryk

Born March 21, 1982, in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Lieutenant-Colonel (LCol) Kutryk was raised on a cattle farm in eastern Alberta. He enjoys backcountry skiing, cycling, mountaineering and paragliding. LCol Kutryk holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering (1st Class Distinction) from the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario (2004). He also earned a master's degree in space studies from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida (2009), a master's degree in flight test engineering from the United States Air Force's Air University in Alabama (2012), and a master's degree in defence studies from the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario (2014).

LCol Kutryk was one of two recruits selected by the Canadian Space Agency in July 2017 through the fourth Canadian astronaut recruitment campaign. In July 2017, he relocated to Houston, Texas, to take the two-year Astronaut Candidate Training Program at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. The program includes scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in International Space Station systems, simulated spacewalks, robotics, physiological training, flight training, Russian language courses, and sea and wilderness survival training. LCol Kutryk completed the two-year Astronaut Candidate Training Program and obtained the official title of astronaut in January 2020.