Astronaut Josh Cassada, an Albion College Class of 1995 alumnus, will fly the first mission of a Boeing-manufactured commercial spacecraft to the International Space Station, NASA announced today.

It will be Cassada’s first spaceflight after his selection by NASA as part of its 2013 astronaut class. The Navy commander and test pilot has accumulated more than 3,500 flight hours in more than 40 aircraft.

After graduating with a degree in physics from Albion, Cassada earned his master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Rochester. He was back in Albion for an extended visit in 2015 during Homecoming Weekend.

Watch video of Cassada’s assignment announcement during today’s NASA event

Read much more about Cassada and his fellow astronauts’ upcoming work on nasa.gov