Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko has broken the world record for the most cumulative time spent 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 GennadiPadalka, who set the previous record of 878 days, 11 hours, 29 minutes and 48 seconds in 2015.
Mr. Kononenko has made five trips to the International Space Station (ISS), dating back to 2008.
Speaking to Russian news agency TASS, the engineer said each trip to the Station required careful preparation due to the station’s constant improvements – but that life as a cosmonaut was a childhood dream come true .
“I fly into space to do what I love, not to set records. I have dreamed and aspired to become a cosmonaut since I was a child. This interest – the possibility of flying in space, living and working in orbit – motivates me to continue flying,” he told TASS.
Mr. Kononenko’s current journey to the ISS began on September 15, 2023, when he launched alongside NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara and his Roscosmos compatriot Nikolai Tchoub. At the end of this expedition, the cosmonaut should become the first person to accumulate 1000 days in space.
The International Space Station is one of the few areas in which the United States and Russia still cooperate closely following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Roscosmos announced in December that its cross-flight program with the NASA carrying astronauts to the ISS had been extended until 2025.