Russian cosmonauts touch down in Soyuz capsule after record-breaking stay on ISS

A Russian space capsule with two Russians and one American on board landed Monday in Kazakhstan after undocking from the International Space Station (ISS). Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub returned after a record-breaking stay of 374 days aboard the ISS, while American astronaut Tracy Dyson was in the space station for six months.

Two Russian cosmonauts landed back on Earth on Monday after a record-breaking stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub spent 374 days in low-Earth orbit at the ISS, the longest time anybody has ever stayed on the station in a continuous stint.

During his stay, Kononenko, 60, also set a new record for the longest cumulative time any person has spent in space -- passing the three-year mark with a total of 1,111 days across five trips.

American astronaut Tracy Dyson, who took off for the station in March, also returned to Earth.

The Soyuz MS-25 capsule carrying the three landed in the vast steppe of Kazakhstan at 16:59 local time (1159 GMT), an official broadcast of the landing showed.

The absolute record for the longest unbroken time any human has spent in space belongs to Russia's Valeri Polyakov, who spent 438 days on the Mir space station in 1994-95.

Russia's Roscosmos state space agency is seeking new partnerships with countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

(AFP)


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