The Army has sent its doctors to far flung places all over the globe, but next year, one physician will go where no others have traveled.

Lt. Col. Andrew Morgan, an emergency physician at Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas and NASA astronaut, is set be the first Army doctor in space. NASA will launch him to the International Space Station in July 2019.

“I'll be taking Army history, military medicine and this supportive community with me,” Morgan said in an Army news release. “I'm hugely honored to represent all of that.”

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Morgan's journey began in 2011 when he saw a NASA announcement seeking the next astronaut class. He didn't believe he had the right background, but applied anyway.

The selection process, which included extensive interviews, medical testing and language aptitude testing, lasted 18 months. There were 120 candidates interviewed, according to NASA. Morgan was selected from the final pool of eight candidates in 2013.

For the past five years, he underwent extensive flight and space-walking training in addition to studying Russian, robotics, and space stations systems and maintenance. Morgan also learned about spacesuit development and injuries. Before his flight, he will undergo in-depth refresher training.

The 2019 voyage to the International Space Station will be Morgan's first official mission. He'll make the trek alongside Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Skvortsov. Aboard the International Space Station, he'll join American astronaut Christina Koch and Russian cosmonaut Sergey Ryzhikov.

The Army Medical Corps officer cites his military experience and training as keys to his success.

"At the core, I was selected as an astronaut because they saw a unique set of skills,” Morgan said. “Everything I brought to the table was given to me by the Army - my undergraduate and graduate education, residency, and operational experiences."

Brig. Gen. George Appenzeller, commanding general of Brooke Army Medical Center, said in the Army release that he is thrilled to work with Morgan from space.

“Drew's service and leadership is always about the team … his patients, colleagues and their families,” he said. “We are looking forward to his leadership from space next year.”

Amanda Dolasinski is MOAA's staff writer. She can be reached at amandad@moaa.org. Follow her on Twitter @AmandaMOAA.