Russian Cosmonaut makes world history by spending 1,000 days in space

Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko has achieved a stunning world milestone by spending a total of 1,000 days in space. He achieved the remarkable feat by surpassing his own record.

The 59-year-old cosmonaut, who made history in February by surpassing fellow Russian Gennady Padalka's record of 879 consecutive days in space, has now broken the total time spent in orbit.

It was previously set by Padalka at 878 days, 11 hours, 29 minutes, and 48 seconds.

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Kononenko's latest space flightbegan on September 15, 2023, when he launched aboard the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft alongside cosmonaut Nikolai Chub and NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara.

Scheduled to return in September 2024, Kononenko will have spent 1,110 days in orbit by then.

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The Russian space agency Roscosmos announced the milestone on Telegram saying, "Today at 00:00:20 Moscow time, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko for the first time in world history spent a total of 1,000 days in space flight."

Emmanuel Urquieta, former chief medical officer of the NASA-funded Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH), reflected on Kononenko's achievement and told a media outlet, “It takes a special kind of person to be able to achieve such a record."

Astronauts celebrateKononenko's feat

Astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) celebrated Kononenko's feat by forming a "1000" behind him for a photo.

In a statement to the Russian state news agency TASS, Kononenko shared his sentiments while clinching the world record for maximum time in space flight.

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"There's this awareness that you have achieved something new and important, that you've overcome a certain milestone, touched the unknown. It gives you confidence, and pride in the work you've done."

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Kononenko also thanked his US colleagues on the ISS and NASA's mission control centre in Houston, who were among the first to congratulate him on his record-setting spaceflight.

Speaking on the importance of long-term space missions, Kononenko stressed on their role in expanding humanity's understanding of our capabilities, crucial for future interplanetary flights.

(With inputs from agencies)