On September 20, two Russian astronauts set a new record for the longest continuous stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
The Russian spacecraft Soyuz MS-25 was launched from Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan on March 23, 2024. (Photo credit: AFP/TTXVN).
According to an announcement from the Russian space agency Roscosmos, astronauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub have surpassed the previous record of 370 days, 21 hours, and 22 minutes set by astronauts Sergei Prokopiev, Dmitry Petelin (both Russian), and Francisco Rubio (American) in September 2023.
Astronauts Chub and Kononenko will continue their stay on the ISS until their return to Earth on September 23. Astronaut Kononenko (59 years old) has not only set the record for the longest continuous stay on the ISS but also holds several other records for time spent in space, with a total of 1,110 days across five different missions before landing in Kazakhstan this week.
American astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams also spent much of the record-setting time aboard the ISS alongside their Russian colleagues. Initially, astronauts Williams and Wilmore were scheduled to stay on the ISS for just 8 days after arriving there last June, but due to issues with the Starliner spacecraft, they were unable to return as planned. They are now expected to return to Earth in February.
