Two Russian astronauts have broken the record for the longest continuous stay on the International Space Station (ISS), according to Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos. Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub surpassed the previous record of 370 days, 21 hours, and 22 minutes set in September 2023 by Russians Sergei Prokopiev and Dmitry Petelin, along with American Francisco Rubio. Chub and Kononenko are expected to add a few more days to their total before returning to Earth on Monday.
Kononenko, who is 59 years old, holds other space duration records as well. He has spent a total of 1,110 days in space over five missions. This will be his sixth mission when he lands in Kazakhstan next week.
Interestingly, two American astronauts named Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have unintentionally been aboard the ISS for most of the Russians’ record-setting stay. Williams and Wilmore were initially scheduled to spend only eight days on the ISS after launching in June. However, due to technical issues with their Boeing Starliner capsule, they were unable to return as planned. They are now set to come back in February.
The achievement by Kononenko and Chub highlights Russia’s continued presence and contribution to space exploration through its participation in long-duration missions on board the ISS.
