Image: NASA (via Wikimedia Commons)
ISS Expedition 70/71
Mission Profile
| Launch date | 2023-09-15 |
|---|---|
| Launch site | Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 31/6, Kazakhstan |
| Launch vehicle | Soyuz-2.1a |
| Spacecraft | Soyuz MS-24 |
| Target | Low Earth Orbit |
| Type | Crewed |
| End date | 2024-09-23 |
| Duration | 374 days (Kononenko and Chub) |
| Partners | Roscosmos, NASA |
Overview
This was the expedition pairing that rewrote the record books. Cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko and rookie Nikolai Chub launched on Soyuz MS-24 on 15 September 2023 for what became the longest single spaceflight in ISS history. Across Expeditions 70 and 71, Kononenko commanded the station while quietly accumulating an unmatched career tally. On 4 February 2024 he overtook Gennady Padalka as the human with the most cumulative time in space, and on 4 June he became the first person ever to log 1,000 cumulative days off the planet. When he and Chub finally returned aboard Soyuz MS-25 on 23 September 2024, they had spent 374 days continuously in orbit, eclipsing the previous single-flight record. Kononenko's career total reached an astonishing 1,111 days across five missions.
Crew
Oleg Kononenko
Commander (Expeditions 70 & 71) / Soyuz MS-24 Commander
Fifth spaceflight; reached 1,111 cumulative days in space
Nikolai Chub
Flight Engineer (Roscosmos)
First spaceflight; shared the 374-day single-flight record
Tracy C. Dyson
Flight Engineer (NASA)
Returned with Kononenko and Chub on Soyuz MS-25
Key Milestones
2023-09-15
Soyuz MS-24 launches Kononenko and Chub on a planned year-long mission
2024-02-04
Kononenko surpasses Gennady Padalka's record for most cumulative time in space
2024-06-04
Kononenko becomes the first person to reach 1,000 cumulative days in space
2024-09-23
Kononenko and Chub land aboard Soyuz MS-25 after a record 374-day single spaceflight
Key Achievements
Longest single spaceflight in history: 374 days for Kononenko and Chub
Oleg Kononenko became the first human to reach 1,000 cumulative days in space
Kononenko broke Gennady Padalka's all-time record for total time in space
Kononenko's career total reached 1,111 days across five missions
