Cosmonauts Prokopyev, Petelin break Russian record for ISS flight duration

MOSCOW. Sept 11 (Interfax) - Cosmonauts Sergei Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin have broken a record among Russians for the duration of their mission to the International Space Station (ISS), Roscosmos said on Monday.

Earlier, the state corporation said that at 8:40:11 p.m. Moscow time Monday, the pair would surpass the achievement of Pyotr Dubrov, who was onboard the ISS for 355 days 3 hours 45 minutes 21 seconds.

Meanwhile, their NASA colleague Frank Rubio set a new record among fellow Americans.

The trio arrived at the ISS aboard a Soyuz MS-22 spaceship on September 21, 2022. The crew's mission was extended until September 27 this year due to damage caused by a meteoroid to the ship's radiator.

The crew will return to Earth after a 371-day spaceflight aboard a Soyuz MS-23, which arrived at the station in February to replace its damaged predecessor.

The longest spaceflight yet, spanning 437 days 17 hours 58 minutes 17 seconds, was made by Russia's Valery Polyakov on the Mir space station.