Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko sets a new record with 1,000 days in space

Oleg Kononenko, a Russian cosmonaut, spent 1,000 days in space, making him the first person to achieve this milestone. He accomplished this on his fifth trip to the International Space Station since 2008. His current mission began on September 15, 2023, with NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara and Russian Nikolai Chub. Kononenko broke the previous record of 878 days in space in February 2024, surpassing fellow Russian Gennady Padalka's record set in 2015. If his mission ends as planned on September 23, 2024, he will have spent a total of 1,110 days in orbit. Kononenko expressed his pride in this achievement and mentioned that his American colleagues on the ISS were among the first to congratulate him. The International Space Station is a place where the United States and Russia still work closely together despite tensions. Roscosmos extended its program with NASA to transport astronauts to the ISS until 2025, ensuring continued cooperation in space exploration.