Christina Koch is on a space mission longer than that of any other female astronaut before her.
NASA said Saturday that Koch surpassed the previous women’s record for a single spaceflight. The agency described the milestone as a new day and a new dawn.
“Congrats, Christina, on reaching new heights,” NASA tweeted.
The previous record of 288 days was set by Peggy Whitson, the former commander of the International Space Station (ISS).
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“I’m very happy for you,” Whitson said in a video congratulating Koch that was shot inside a zero-gravity facility.
“And we all know gravity sucks.”
Koch is on her first spaceflight. NASA says she is slated to spend a total of 328 consecutive days working at the ISS. She is participating in research and station maintenance, among other activities, NASA says.
She also participated in the historic all-female spacewalk with astronaut Jessica Meir during the fall.
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According to a bio on NASA’s website, Koch is an electrical engineer who was selected to become a U.S. astronaut in 2013. She completed her training two years later.
The record for longest spaceflight by a U.S. male astronaut is held by Scott Kelly, with 340 days.
The world record is 15 months, set in the 1990s by a Russian cosmonaut aboard the former Mir space station, the Associated Press reports.
The Canadian record for longest spaceflight is 204 days, set by David Saint-Jacques this year.
–With files from the Associated Press
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