Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

A Russian cosmonaut sets a new record for the most time in space

In this photo taken from video footage released by Roscosmos Space Corporation, Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub conduct a spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS), Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. (Roscosmos Space Corporation via AP) In this photo taken from video footage released by Roscosmos Space Corporation, Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub conduct a spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS), Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. (Roscosmos Space Corporation via AP)
Share

Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko has broken the world record for the most cumulative time spent in space, Russia's space agency Roscosmos reported Sunday.

The 59-year-old has now spent more than 878 days and 12 hours in space, surpassing fellow Russian Gennady Padalka, who set the previous record of 878 days, 11 hours, 29 minutes, and 48 seconds in 2015.

Kononenko has made five journeys to the International Space Station, dating back to 2008.

Speaking with Russian state news agency TASS, the engineer said that each trip to the ISS required careful preparation due to the station's constant upgrades -- but that life as a cosmonaut was a childhood dream come true.

"I fly into space to do what I love, not to set records. I've dreamt of and aspired to become a cosmonaut since I was a child. That interest -- the opportunity to fly into space, to live and work in orbit -- motivates me to continue flying," he told TASS.

Kononenko's current trip to the ISS began on 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.

The International Space Station is one of the few areas in which the United States and Russia still cooperate closely following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in Feb. 2022. Roscosmos announced in December that its cross-flight program with NASA transporting astronauts to the ISS had been extended until 2025.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Local Spotlight

On Saturday night at her parents’ home in Delaware, Ont. the Olympic bronze medallist in pole vault welcomed everyone who played a role in getting her to the podium in Paris.

A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.

When a group of B.C. filmmakers set out on a small fishing boat near Powell River last week, they hoped to capture some video for a documentary on humpback whales. What happened next blew their minds.

A pizza chain in Edmonton claims to have the world's largest deliverable pizza.

Sarah McLachlan is returning to her hometown of Halifax in November.

Wayne MacKay is still playing basketball twice at Mount Allison University at 87 years old.

A man from a small rural Alberta town is making music that makes people laugh.

An Indigenous artist has a buyer-beware warning ahead of Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Police are looking to the public for help after thieves broke into a Lethbridge ice creamery, stealing from the store.