Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko has broken the world record for the most time spent in space, Russian space agency Roscosmos reported on Sunday.
The 59-year-old has now spent more than 878 days and 12 hours in space, surpassing fellow Russian Gennady Padalka, who set the previous record of 878 days, 11 hours, 29 minutes and 48 seconds in 2015. Ta.
Kononenko has made five trips to the International Space Station, dating back to 2008.
The engineer, who was interviewed by Russia’s state-run news agency TASS, said that the ISS is regularly renovated, so careful preparations are required for each trip, but he has been involved in life as an astronaut since he was a child. He said his dream had come true.
“I fly into space not to set records, but to do what I love. I have dreamed and aspired to become an astronaut since I was a child. The opportunity to fly, live and work in orbit is what motivates me to continue flying,” he told TASS.
Mr. Kononenko Current trip to the ISS It began on September 15, 2023, when NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara and Roscosmos compatriot Nikolai Chubb launched into space. By the end of this expedition, the astronauts are expected to become the first people to spend 1,000 days in space.
The International Space Station is one of the few areas in which the United States and Russia continue to cooperate closely after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Roscosmos announced in December that its cross-flight program with NASA to transport astronauts to the ISS has been extended. Until 2025.
