Purdue ECE alumnus Yuri Kubo selected as NASA astronaut candidate
Purdue ECE alumnus Yuri Kubo selected as NASA astronaut candidate
Purdue University alumnus Yuri Kubo, who holds both a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering (2008) and a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering (2015) from the Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has been named to NASA’s 2025 class of astronaut candidates.
Kubo, who was a senior vice president at Electric Hydrogen at the time of his selection, is one of 10 candidates chosen from a pool of more than 8,000 applicants. He now joins Purdue’s storied “Cradle of Astronauts,” bringing the university’s total number of NASA astronauts to 30.
“Known as the Cradle of Astronauts, Purdue University is excited to see NASA’s announcement of two Boilermakers among the cohort of 10 astronauts selected to go to the moon and then Mars,” said Purdue President Mung Chiang. “Adam Fuhrmann and Yuri Kubo will carry on the spirit of exploration rooted in the legacy of 24 other Purdue-alum NASA astronauts including Neil Armstrong. Many more small steps and giant leaps to come!”
In addition to his Purdue degrees, Kubo was recently honored by Purdue’s College of Engineering as a 2024 recipient of its prestigious 38 by 38 award, which recognizes outstanding young engineering alumni.
Kubo is joined in the 2025 astronaut class by fellow Boilermaker Adam Fuhrmann, who earned a master’s in systems engineering from Purdue in 2022. Fuhrmann, currently serving in the U.S. Air Force, was director of operations for a flight test unit at the time of his selection.
The astronaut candidates will undergo nearly two years of intensive training before becoming flight-eligible for NASA missions to low Earth orbit, the moon and eventually Mars.
Purdue’s Cradle of Astronauts began in 1959 when Virgil “Gus” Grissom, a 1950 graduate, became a member of the Mercury Seven. The cradle also includes both the first person and the most recent person to walk on the moon: Neil Armstrong (’55) and Purdue ECE alumnus Gene Cernan (’56). Both Armstrong and Cernan received honorary doctorates from Purdue in 1970.
Source: New NASA astronaut candidates become Purdue’s 29th and 30th members of Cradle of Astronauts