Russian Astronaut Rockets Past Space Record: 878 Days and Counting

A Russian astronaut has set a new world record for the cumulative time spent in space.

The Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) announced that Oleg Kononenko, who is on a mission at the International Space Station (ISS), surpassed the previous record of 878 days, 11 hours, 29 minutes, and 48 seconds as of 11:30:08 AM (Moscow local time) that day. The previous record was held by Russian astronaut Gennady Padalka, who completed five space missions from 1998 to 2015.

Kononenko set a new record when his mission was extended by six months due to a coolant leak on the Soyuz spacecraft returning to Earth from the ISS. Roscosmos predicts that by June 5th, Kononenko’s cumulative time in space will exceed 1,000 days. The record for the longest single stay in space is 371 days, set by NASA astronaut Frank Rubio on September 27th last year.

In an interview with the Russian TASS news agency, Kononenko shared his feelings: “I didn’t come to space to set a record, but to do what I love most.” He stated that he realizes how much of life he has missed each time he returns to Earth. He reflected, “Only when I came home did I realize that my children had grown hundreds of days without their father.” “The work of astronauts is becoming more complicated as systems and experiments are also getting more complicated,” he added. “Despite technological advancements, preparation is still difficult.”