Frank Rubio, a 50-year-old U.S. Army colonel and former Black Hawk pilot, completed a 371-day continuous stay aboard the International Space Station, the longest single U.S. spaceflight. Rubio launched on Soyuz MS-22 on September 21, 2022, and returned on September 27, 2023 after a coolant leak extended the mission. He completed 5,963 orbits and became the fourth American to spend 300+ consecutive days in space.
Army Pilot Frank Rubio Sets U.S. Single-Flight Spaceflight Record With 371-Day ISS Mission
Frank Rubio gives a thumbs-up in 2023 after returning from the International Space Station, where he spent a U.S. record 371 consecutive days. (NASA)
Frank Rubio, a U.S. Army colonel and former Black Hawk pilot, set the U.S. single-flight spaceflight record with a continuous 371-day stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Rubio’s mission concluded on September 27, 2023, and surpassed the previous U.S. single-flight mark by 16 days.
From West Point To Orbit
Rubio graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1998, where he was a member of the academy’s parachute team. He went on to fly Black Hawk helicopters, logging more than 1,100 flight hours—more than half accumulated during deployments to Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq—and later trained as a flight surgeon at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama.
Making The Leap To NASA
Rubio applied to NASA’s 2017 astronaut class—one of more than 18,000 applicants that year—and after five years of astronaut training earned a seat on Soyuz MS-22. On September 21, 2022, he launched from Kazakhstan with cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin bound for the ISS.
A Mission Extended, A Record Achieved
What was planned as a roughly six-month mission was extended after a coolant leak affected the crew’s return vehicle. Rubio and his crewmates adapted to the unexpected challenge; an uncrewed replacement spacecraft was later sent to the station to bring the crew home. Rubio completed 5,963 orbits of Earth during his mission and became only the fourth American to spend at least 300 consecutive days in space, joining Mark Vande Hei, Scott Kelly and Christina Koch.
“It’s been a mixed emotional roller coaster to a certain degree, because personally, it was an incredible challenge, and it was difficult,” Rubio said from the ISS in September 2023. “Professionally, it was incredibly rewarding. It’s a huge honor.”
Perspective From Above
Rubio credits his upbringing and Army experience—raised by a single mother who emigrated from El Salvador and honed by military service—for the resilience and adaptability that helped him succeed in orbit. He has described seeing Earth from space as a powerful reminder of the planet’s beauty and of human achievement.
Quick facts: Launch: September 21, 2022 (Soyuz MS-22). Mission end: September 27, 2023. Duration: 371 consecutive days. Orbits: 5,963. Notable: Mission was extended after a coolant leak; an uncrewed replacement vehicle returned the crew.
NASA astronaut Frank Rubio got to go to a place where few people have gone before. (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
A Soyuz MS-22 rocket launches from Kazakhstan to the International Space Station with astronaut Frank Rubio and cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin aboard on Wednesday, September 21, 2022. (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
NASA astronaut Frank Rubio stayed busy at the International Space Station. (NASA)
Frank Rubio
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