Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko has broken the world record for the longest accumulated time in space, the 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.
Kononenko has made five trips to the International Space Station, since 2008.
Speaking to Russian state news agency TASS, the engineer said each trip to the ISS required careful preparation due to constant station updates, but that life as a cosmonaut was a childhood dream come true.
“I fly to space to do what I love, not to break records. I have dreamed and aspired to be a cosmonaut since I was a child. That interest, the opportunity to fly into space, live and work in orbit, motivates me to continue flying,” he told TASS.
Kononenko has made five trips to the International Space Station, since 2008. AP
Kononenko said he aspired to be a cosmonaut all his life. AP
Kononenko’s current trip to the ISS began on September 15, 2023, when he launched alongside NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara and Roscosmos compatriot Nikolai Chub. At the end of this expedition, the cosmonaut is expected to become the first person to accumulate 1,000 days in space.
The International Space Station is one of the few areas where the United States and Russia are still cooperating closely following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Roscosmos announced in December that it had expanded its cross-flight program with NASA to transport astronauts to the ISS. until 2025.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn