Sep 11, 2023 - Science

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio sets record for longest U.S. space mission

Rebecca Falconer

NASA Astronaut Frank Rubio smiles in a space shuttle in space. — NASA astronaut and Expedition 68 Flight Engineer Frank Rubio at the International Space Station in 2022. Photo: NASA

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio just set a new record for the longest U.S. spaceflight mission.

Driving the news: Rubio, who's also the first person of Salvadoran origin to go to space, eclipsed the previous record of 355 consecutive days in space on Monday, per a NASA online statement.

Rubio launched to the International Space Station with Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin in September 2022.

What they're saying: "This is now the single longest mission for any of our NASA astronauts," NASA said.

"He is set to return to Earth on Sept. 27, when he will have spent 371 days in space."

Flashback: NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei set the previous U.S. record in 2022.

Go deeper: Latinos get NASA to Mars

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NASA astronaut Frank Rubio sets record for longest U.S. space mission

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