NASA astronaut Frank Rubio returns from record-setting mission in space

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, along with his Russian colleagues Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin, has returned to Earth after a record-breaking mission. They landed in Kazakhstan aboard the Russian Soyuz MS-23 capsule. Rubio's journey was unexpectedly extended to 371 days due to a coolant leak on his original spacecraft while docked at the International Space Station, setting a new record for the longest time a US astronaut has spent in microgravity. He also became the first American to spend an entire calendar year in orbit.

Rubio's mission marked several firsts, including his first journey to space since joining the NASA astronaut corps in 2017 and being the first astronaut of Salvadoran origin to travel to low-Earth orbit. In an interview, he mentioned that if he had known his stay would be twice as long as planned, he might have declined due to family commitments.

Rubio, a father of four, will now make his way back home from Kazakhstan. In total, he and his crewmates travelled 157.4 million miles, completing 5,963 orbits of the Earth. Rubio surpassed the previous US astronaut record of 355 days, held by NASA's Mark Vande Hei in 2022. The world record for the longest stay in space belongs to the late Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov, who spent 437 continuous days aboard Russia's Mir space station between January 1994 and March 1995.

In total, Rubio and his crewmates journeyed 157.4 million miles (253.3 million kilometers) and circled the Earth 5,963 times, as reported by NASA.

Rubio surpassed the previous record for the longest stay in space by a US astronaut, which was 355 days, set by NASA's Mark Vande Hei in 2022.



The world record for the longest stay in space is held by the late Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov. He spent 437 continuous days in orbit aboard Russia's Mir space station from January 1994 to March 1995.