U.S. astronaut Frank Rubio, along with two Russian cosmonauts, has returned to Earth after a year-long mission on the International Space Station (ISS). The Soyuz MS-23 capsule successfully undocked from the ISS and landed southeast of Zhezqazghan, Kazakhstan, slightly earlier than scheduled. Upon landing, Rubio expressed his happiness to be home and praised his crewmates for their performance during the mission. The crew, who were six months overdue to return due to their original spacecraft’s leak, were greeted by Russian and U.S. space officials and declared to be in good health.
During his time on the ISS, Rubio broke the record for the longest continuous space flight by an American, surpassing the previous record of 355 days set by astronaut Mark Vande Hei. However, Rubio’s achievement falls short of the world record set by Russia’s Valeri Polyakov, who spent 437 consecutive days and 18 hours in space. Rubio is the first American astronaut to have spent a full year in space. He is a board-certified family physician and flight surgeon, a former U.S. Army special forces officer, and a decorated Blackhawk helicopter pilot with combat experience.
Rubio mentioned that he would have likely declined the mission if he had known it would last for at least a year, citing family obligations. However, he ultimately embraced the mission’s extension and feels honored by the experience. Rubio anticipates that it will take several months to readjust to the Earth’s gravity after an extended stay in microgravity, and he looks forward to the tranquility of his backyard in contrast to the constant noise aboard the ISS.