Russian Cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko Achieves World Record for Most Time Spent in Space

Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko has etched his name in the annals of space exploration, setting a new world record for the most time spent in space. As of 0830 GMT on Sunday, Kononenko surpassed the previous record held by his compatriot, Gennady Padalka, reaching a remarkable milestone of more than 878 days, nearly two-and-a-half years.

Gennady Padalka, who logged 878 days, 11 hours, 29 minutes, and 48 seconds during five space flights before retiring in 2017, has now passed the baton to Kononenko. The achievement occurred during Kononenko's fifth space flight, orbiting 263 miles (423km) from Earth aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

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“I fly into space to do my favorite thing, not to set records,” Kononenko humbly stated in an interview with the state news agency Tass from the ISS. “I am proud of all my achievements, but I am most proud that the record for the total duration of human stay in space is still held by a Russian cosmonaut,” he added. Kononenko is the current commander of Roscosmos, Russia's space agency.

His space odyssey is scheduled to conclude in late September, by which time he will have logged an astonishing 1,110 days in space. Kononenko, who began his space career as an engineer, joined the group selected for the ISS program at the age of 34. His inaugural space flight took place in April 2008, lasting 200 days.

This remarkable accomplishment underscores Russia's continued prominence in space exploration and Kononenko's dedication to advancing humanity's understanding of the cosmos.