NASA astronaut returns to Earth after historic 371-day space mission

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio has made history with his return to Earth after spending a remarkable 371 days in space, surpassing previous records. Originally scheduled for a modest six-month mission aboard the International Space Station, Rubio's journey turned into an epic adventure, earning him a place in the annals of space exploration.

NASA astronaut returns to Earth after historic 371-day space mission

Rubio, along with Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin, descended in a Russian Soyuz MS-23 capsule, touching down in Kazakhstan at 5:17 p.m. local time on Wednesday. This extraordinary return marked the conclusion of Rubio's unexpected extended mission, resulting from a coolant leak on his initial ride while docked to the orbital station.

His prolonged stay set a new record for the longest duration in microgravity by a US astronaut and made him the first American to spend an entire calendar year in orbit. This mission also marked significant milestones for Rubio, including being the first astronaut of Salvadoran origin to venture into low-Earth orbit.

In an interview with CNN, Rubio acknowledged that had he known his mission would be twice as long as originally planned, family commitments might have led him to reconsider. Rubio is now anticipated to commence his journey home to reunite with his four children.

Together with his crewmates, Rubio covered an astonishing 157.4 million miles (253.3 million kilometers) and completed 5,963 orbits around Earth. While Rubio broke the previous record for the longest stay in space by a US astronaut, the ultimate record for the longest duration in space remains with the late Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov, who spent 437 continuous days aboard Russia's Mir space station between 1994 and 1995.