NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Russian cosmonauts returned to Earth after completing their mission aboard the International Space Station. Rubio broke the record for the longest US astronaut stay in space with 371 days.

US Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) astronaut Frank Rubio and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin completed the longest mission in the history of the International Space Station. The Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft carrying the astronauts and cosmonauts landed by parachute at 17.17 local time in a rural area south of Jezkazgan, Kazakhstan.

LONGEST STAY IN SPACE BY A USA MAN

The crew was removed from the capsule by the teams waiting in the area. Rubio, the astronaut who reached the International Space Station, made history as the US astronaut who spent the longest time in space with 371 days.

Prokopyev, Petelin and Rubio had reached the International Space Station on September 21, 2022 for a 6-month mission. However, due to the failure of the spacecraft in December, the space mission was extended until September 27, 2023, and the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft was sent to the station for the crew's return.

The person who broke the world record for the longest stay in space was Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov, who spent 437 days on the Mir Space Station between January 1994 and March 1995.