Two Russian Cosmonauts Achieve Record for Longest Duration Spent on the International Space Station

Two Russian astronauts broke the record for the longest continuous stay on the International Space Station, as reported by Russia’s space agency Roscosmos. Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub surpassed the previous record held by Russians Sergei Prokopiev and Dmitry Petelin and American Francisco Rubio by staying in space for over 370 days and 21 hours. The two astronauts are expected to extend their stay for several more days before returning to Earth on Monday.

Oleg Kononenko, who is 59 years old, not only broke this latest record but also holds other space duration records. He will have spent a total of 1,110 days in space over the course of five missions once he lands in Kazakhstan next week. Additionally, American astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been aboard the space station for a significant portion of the Russian astronauts’ record-breaking stay.

Originally scheduled for an eight-day mission, Williams and Wilmore found themselves staying aboard the ISS for an increased duration due to issues with their Boeing Starliner capsule, which was sent back to Earth empty. Their return to Earth is now planned for February.