An American astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts have returned to Earth after spending more than a year orbiting the planet aboard the International Space Station.
NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin embarked on their mission to outer space on September 21, 2022, to conduct scientific research on microgravity, plants, medical technology, exercise equipment, habitat technology, robotics, and more. Initially intended as a 180-day mission, the group’s stay was extended due to a safety issue with the return aircraft.
Just prior to a planned spacewalk scheduled for December 14, ground crews detected an unknown substance leaking from the Soyuz-MS 22 spacecraft that was docked at the ISS. The spacewalk was canceled, and the unknown substance was later determined to be related to the spacecraft’s cooling system, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
The aircraft was deemed unsafe for manned spaceflight, and the three crew members were stuck aboard the ISS until a replacement aircraft could be readied and launched.
NASA announced on September 27 that Rubio and the two cosmonauts left the ISS at 3:54 a.m. ET aboard the Soyuz MS-23 and safely touched down in Kazakhstan at 7:17 a.m. Following a medical evaluation, Rubio will board a plane to return to Houston.
The mission was the first spaceflight for Rubio and Petelin and the second for Prokopyev, according to NASA.
Rubio spent a record-breaking 371 days in space, beating the previous record (355 days) for the longest single spaceflight by an American held by NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei. Rubio circled the planet 5,936 times, traveling over 157 million miles while witnessing the arrival of 15 spacecraft and the departure of 14 others.
The world record for longest spaceflight was set by a Russian cosmonaut in the 1990s.
NASA administrator Bill Nelson said in a news release that Rubio embodied the “true pioneer spirit” needed for missions to the moon and other celestial bodies.
“Frank’s record-breaking time in space is not just a milestone; it’s a major contribution to our understanding of long-duration space missions,” Nelson said. “Our astronauts make extraordinary sacrifices away from their homes and loved ones to further discovery. NASA is immensely grateful for Frank’s dedicated service to our nation and the invaluable scientific contributions he made on the International Space Station. ”
ISS crew members Andreas Mogensen, Jasmin Moghbeli, Satoshi Furukawa, and Konstantin Borisov are scheduled to return to Earth in February of next year. Crew members Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub will return to Earth after a full year in space in September next year.
