Russian cosmonaut sets world record for most time spent in space

Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko has set a world record for total time spent in space, surpassing his compatriot Gennady Padalka who logged more than 878 days in orbit. (Photo/Reuters)

Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko has set a world record for total time spent in space, surpassing his compatriot Gennady Padalka who logged more than 878 days in orbit.

Kononenko broke the record at 0830 GMT on Sunday, Russia's space corporation Roscosmos said.

Kononenko is expected to reach a total of 1,000 days in space on June 5 and by late September he will have clocked 1,110 days.

"I fly into space to do my favourite thing, not to set records," Kononenko told TASS in an interview from the International Space Station (ISS) where he is orbiting about 423 kilometres from the earth.

"I am proud of all my achievements, but I am more proud that the record for the total duration of human stay in space is still held by a Russian cosmonaut."

The 59-year-old took the top spot from Padalka, who accumulated a total of 878 days, 11 hours, 29 minutes and 48 seconds, Roscosmos said.

Complicated profession

Kononenko said that he worked out regularly to counter the physical effects of "insidious" weightlessness, but that it was on returning to earth that the realisation came of how much life he had missed out on.

"I do not feel deprived or isolated," he said.

"It is only upon returning home that the realisation comes that for hundreds of days in my absence the children have been growing up without a papa. No one will return this time to me."

He said cosmonauts could now use video calls and messaging to keep in touch with relatives but getting ready for each new space flight became more difficult due to technological advances.

"The profession of a cosmonaut is becoming more complicated. The systems and experiments are becoming more complicated. I repeat, the preparation has not become easier," he said.

Childhood dream

Kononenko dreamed of going to space as a child and enrolled in an engineering institute, before undergoing cosmonaut training. His first space flight was in 2008.

His current trip to the ISS launched last year on a Soyuz MS-24.

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Source: TRT