What is the current world record for the longest human spaceflight?

With the current space race between private companies and public space agencies, it’s easy to forget the achievements made by individuals in the pursuit of space exploration. One such achievement is the world record for the longest human spaceflight. On April 28, 2013, Pavel Vinogradov broke the record, spending 879 days in space.

Vinogradov lived and worked aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and the Russian Mir Space Station, becoming part of an extensive scientific and technological program of exploration. During his mission, Vinogradov helped to commission the Russian Mini Research Module 2 and installed the European Robotic Arm on the ISS, as well as helping to de-orbit the Progress 44 cargo spacecraft and conduct other experiments.

The previous longest spaceflight record of 803 days was held by Sergei Avdeyev, also a Russian astronaut. After Vinogradov’s record and as of August 2019, American astronaut Scott Kelly holds the fourth spot in the longest duration spaceflight times, having spent 340 days in space.

The longest spaceflight to date has been held by Valeri Polyakov who spent nearly 438 days in space aboard the former Soviet Mir space station. His record is closely followed by the former USSR space pilot Valery Bykovsky who completed a space mission of five days less than Polyakov.

The achievements made by spacefarers such as Vinogradov and their contributions to space exploration are invaluable. As space agencies and companies continue to push for longer duration spaceflights and further exploration, it’s important to remember the records set by those who first looked to the stars and sought to make space exploration a reality.