Cosmonaut Kononenko Sets Record For Most Time in Space

February 4th, 4:00 PM EST

By NEWSnet Digital Team

International Space Station, file photo

MGN via NASA / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

(NEWSnet/AP) — Cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko has set a world record for the most cumulative time in space, Russia’s space agency Roscosmos reported Sunday.

Kononenko, 59, has spent more than 878 days and 12 hours aloft, surpassing Gennady Padalka, who held the previous record of 878 days, 11 hours, 29 minutes and 48 seconds.

Kononenko has made five journeys to International Space Station since 2008.

Speaking with news agency TASS, Kononenko said each trip to ISS required careful preparation due to the station’s frequent upgrades, but life as a cosmonaut is a childhood dream come true.

“I fly into space to do what I love, not to set records," he told TASS. "I’ve dreamt of and aspired to become a cosmonaut since I was a child. That interest ... motivates me to continue flying."

His trip began Sept. 15, 2023, when he launched alongside NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara and Roscosmos compatriot Nikolai Chub. By the end of this expedition, the cosmonaut is expected to become the first person to accumulate 1,000 days in space.

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