NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, who broke a record earlier this month for the single longest spaceflight by an American explorer, returned to Earth Wednesday.
Vande Hei landed in Kazakhstan, southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan, at 7:28 a.m. ET. He and cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov began the journey back to Earth in the early morning hours on the Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft, according to NASA.
Vande Hei, 55, had been on the International Space Station since Apr. 9, 2021 — spending 355 days in low-Earth orbit and breaking the record previously held by retired astronaut Scott Kelly by 15 days.
“Mark’s mission is not only record-breaking, but also paving the way for future human explorers on the Moon, Mars, and beyond,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said. “NASA and the nation are proud to welcome Mark home and grateful for his incredible contributions throughout his year-long stay on the International Space Station.”
While on the International Space Station, Vande Hei experienced about 5,680 orbits of Earth.
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