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Texas, US
Astronaut Lt. Col. Frank Rubio, M.D., from the US Army and NASA, is concluding his historic stint in space this Wednesday (Sept 27). He will be departing from the International Space Station (ISS) alongside two Russian cosmonauts aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, scheduled to undock at 3:55 am, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on Wednesday and head back to Earth.
NASA TV will provide live coverage of the deorbit burn and landing, starting at 6:00 am EDT, with the spacecraft expected to touch down in Kazakhstan at 7:17 am EDT. Following the landing, Rubio will make his way to Houston, Texas.
Rubio's milestone
Rubio's mission on the ISS has lasted an impressive 371 days, surpassing NASA's previous record for the longest spaceflight by an American astronaut, previously held by Mark Vande Hei with 355 days.
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Rubio, an active-duty Army physician and NASA astronaut, is part of the US Army Space and Missile Defence Command's Army Astronaut Detachment.
He was one of the ten people selected out of a pool of over 18,000 applicants for the 2017 Astronaut Candidate Class.
Originally slated for a six-month mission on the ISS, Rubio's stay was extended due to the discovery and subsequent investigation of a coolant leak on the spacecraft.
He recently spoke with the media about his groundbreaking mission while aboard the International Space Station.
NASA Astronaut Frank Rubio returns to Earth tomorrow after 371 days in space.
Watch live coverage on @NASA TV at 12 a.m. ET, landing targeted for 7:17 am. ET Sept. 27. https://t.co/MicojH1bxf pic.twitter.com/vYI96f9kNE
— NASA's Johnson Space Center (@NASA_Johnson) September 26, 2023
Journey to space
Rubio's journey to the space station occurred through a collaborative arrangement between NASA and Roscosmos, which was established in the summer of 2022 as part of a crew-exchange agreement.
Under this agreement, NASA assigned Rubio to travel aboard the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft, while Roscosmos placed cosmonaut Anna Kikina on a SpaceX Crew Dragon mission that launched in October 2022 and returned on March 11.
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Despite the escalating geopolitical tensions between the United States and Russia due to the conflict in Ukraine, NASA has consistently emphasised the critical importance of its partnership with Roscosmos for the continued operation of the space station and the valuable scientific research conducted on board.
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