NASA astronaut Frank Rubio has made history as he returned to Earth following his record-breaking space mission. Rubio, along with his Russian colleagues, cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin, landed in Kazakhstan aboard the Russian Soyuz MS-23 capsule. The trio parachuted down, marking the end of Rubio's unexpected journey, which lasted over a year instead of the planned six months. During his stay, Rubio set a new record for the longest a US astronaut has ever spent in microgravity, as well as becoming the first American to spend an entire calendar year in orbit.
Rubio's mission was filled with notable firsts. It was his first journey to space since joining the NASA astronaut corps in 2017, and he became the first astronaut of Salvadoran origin to travel to low-Earth orbit. In an interview, Rubio admitted that if he had known his stay would be twice as long as planned, he may have declined the assignment due to family commitments. Regardless, he persevered and embarked on a historic mission.
Rubio and his crewmates completed a staggering 5,963 orbits of the Earth and traveled a total of 157.4 million miles during their time in space. This surpasses the previous US record of 355 days set by NASA's Mark Vande Hei in 2022. The world record for the longest stay in space is held by Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov, who spent 437 continuous days aboard Russia's Mir space station.
Rubio's journey to the International Space Station was made possible through a ride-sharing agreement between NASA and Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, which was established during Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This arrangement ensured access to the space station for both countries in case of spacecraft issues. However, the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft encountered a coolant leak just three months into the mission, likely caused by a micrometeorite or orbital debris. Consequently, a replacement vehicle, the Soyuz MS-23, had to be launched.
As Roscosmos prepared for yet another Soyuz capsule to be launched, Rubio and his colleagues extended their stay on the space station. They finally returned home after the arrival of the Soyuz MS-24 vehicle, which brought a fresh crew to replace them. Upon returning to Earth, Rubio acknowledged that it could take two to six months before he feels "normal" again due to the effects of long-term microgravity exposure.
Despite the challenges and uncertainties, Rubio expressed gratitude to his family for their support throughout the mission. Now, he looks forward to experiencing the peace and quiet of Earth after being surrounded by the constant hum of machinery on the space station. With his historic mission complete, Rubio's achievements in space will inspire future generations of astronauts to push boundaries and reach for the stars.