NASA astronaut Frank Rubio breaks US record for longest spaceflight
NASA astronaut Frank Rubio floating inside the cupola, the International Space Stations -window to the world. - AP
LOS ANGELES: NASA astronaut Frank Rubio now holds the record for the longest U.S. spaceflight.
Rubio surpassed the U.S. space endurance record of 355 days on Monday at the International Space Station. He arrived at the outpost last September with two Russians for a routine six months. But their stay was doubled after their Soyuz capsule developed a coolant leak while parked at the space station.
The trio will return to Earth on Sept. 27 in a replacement capsule that was sent up empty for the ride home. By then, Rubio will have spent 371 days in space, more than two weeks longer than Mark Vande Hei, the previous U.S. record holder for a single spaceflight, Russia holds the world record of 437 days, set in the mid-1990s.
“Your dedication is truly out of this world, Frank!” NASA chief Bill Nelson said via X, formerly known as Twitter.
A replacement crew of two Russians and an American is set to launch to the station from Kazakhstan on Friday.
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