Veteran Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko has returned to Earth after a remarkable year-long stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS), a feat that has secured his place in space exploration history. The 60-year-old spaceman has now accumulated an impressive 1,111 non-consecutive days in orbit, surpassing the previous record held by his fellow Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka. This record is likely to stand for many years, given the current trajectory of space exploration.
Kononenko, who celebrated his 60th birthday in June, returned to Earth on Monday, September 23rd, aboard Russia’s Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft. He was accompanied by fellow cosmonaut Nikolai Chub and NASA astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson. The trio landed safely in the steppes of Kazakhstan approximately 3.5 hours after undocking from the ISS. The two cosmonauts, Kononenko and Chub, had spent a record-breaking 374 continuous days aboard the space station, narrowly surpassing NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, who unintentionally completed a 371-day stay on the ISS last year due to a damaged return craft. Dyson, meanwhile, returned after a shorter 184-day mission.
Kononenko first broke the record for the most cumulative days in space back in February, surpassing Padalka’s 878-day record set in 2015. This achievement is a testament to his dedication and experience, having flown on five different missions to the ISS since 2008. As he left the ISS, Kononenko expressed his gratitude to his crewmates, stating, “Thanks to all my crewmates for your friendship. It has been a great time and pleasure to work and spend time together here as a big family on board the International Space Station. Right now I am leaving my second home.”
During his cumulative time in space, Kononenko has completed approximately 17,800 orbits around Earth, spending over 44 hours in the vacuum of space across seven different spacewalks. To put this into perspective, Kononenko has single-handedly accounted for roughly 1.5% of the total time spent in space by over 600 people since Yuri Gagarin, his fellow Russian, became the first human in space in 1961.
While Kononenko holds the record for most cumulative days in space, he hasn’t surpassed Valeri Polyakov’s record for the longest continuous stay in space. Polyakov spent 437 days aboard Russia’s former Mir space station between 1994 and 1995.
Kononenko’s recent mission saw 14 different spacecraft arrive at the ISS, including Boeing’s infamous Starliner rocket, which recently returned to Earth without astronauts due to multiple helium leaks. This incident left NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams stranded in space, with the latter taking over command of the ISS from Kononenko.
It remains uncertain whether Kononenko will embark on any further space missions. Although he hasn’t officially announced his retirement, he has previously acknowledged that spaceflight is becoming more complex and preparing for missions hasn’t gotten easier over time. However, even if he chooses to retire soon, his record is likely to stand for a considerable period, considering that the next 10 astronauts on the list of most cumulative days in space are either inactive or deceased.
The next active astronaut on the list is Russia’s Sergey Prokopyev, who has accumulated 567 non-consecutive days in space. However, it’s unlikely he’ll break Kononenko’s record before Russia completely withdraws from the ISS by 2025. Looking ahead, cosmonauts are expected to visit China’s newly completed Tiangong space station as part of a joint mission to build a lunar base by 2035.
An American astronaut breaking Kononenko’s record before the ISS is deorbited in 2030 is unlikely, largely due to NASA’s policy of generally not allowing its astronauts to stay in space for as long as their Russian counterparts.
Kononenko’s record is a remarkable achievement, but it wasn’t the primary motivator for his long-lasting career in space exploration. He explained in February, after breaking the cumulative spaceflight record, “I fly into space to do my favorite thing, not to set records.”
