As SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, Endeavour, prepares for its return to Earth this week, it is set to make history by achieving several remarkable records for the most time spent in space by a crewed spacecraft.
A Remarkable Journey
Launched on its fifth mission in March, Endeavour has now accumulated an impressive 23 cumulative months in orbit. Over this time, it has circled the Earth 11,000 times and traveled a staggering 292 million miles (470 million kilometers). The name “Endeavour” is steeped in historical significance, echoing the legacy of both seagoing and spacefaring vessels.
The name pays homage to the HMS Endeavour, commanded by Captain James Cook in 1769, which played a crucial role in observing the Transit of Venus from Tahiti. This observation helped refine the calculations of distances between Earth and the Sun, and Cook’s expedition also resulted in the charting of Australia and New Zealand, along with the discovery of numerous plant and animal species.
Endeavour also honors the Apollo 15 Command and Service Module, which in 1971 took astronauts Dave Scott, Al Worden, and Jim Irwin to the Moon. While Scott and Irwin explored the lunar surface, Worden made history by conducting the first deep-space spacewalk 197,000 miles (317,000 km) from Earth.
Moreover, the Crew Dragon Endeavour is named after the last of NASA’s space shuttle fleet, which flew 25 missions from 1992 to 2011. During its service, the shuttle Endeavour accrued 299 days in space, circled the Earth 4,671 times, and traveled 122 million miles (197 million km), playing a pivotal role in servicing the Hubble Space Telescope and aiding in the construction of the International Space Station (ISS).
Setting New Records
Fast forward to today, Endeavour has successfully completed four multi-month ISS expeditions along with a 17-day private Axiom Space research flight. Throughout its missions, it has transported 18 astronauts and cosmonauts from various countries, including the U.S., Russia, Japan, France, Canada, and Israel. A notable mission in 2021 lasted 199 days, marking it as the longest mission by a U.S. crewed spacecraft at that time. In 2023, it also hosted a United Arab Emirates astronaut for a half-year stay aboard the ISS.
Currently, Endeavour is concluding its Crew-8 mission, which began on March 3 with a launch from Kennedy Space Center’s historic Pad 39A. The crew consisted of NASA astronauts Matt Dominick, Mike Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin. They arrived at the ISS the following day for a planned six-month increment, which unexpectedly extended to seven and a half months due to various circumstances.
Challenges and Changes
During their extended mission, Crew-8 shared the ISS with 17 other astronauts and cosmonauts from multiple countries and welcomed or bid farewell to six crewed and seven uncrewed visiting vehicles. The Crew-8 team faced several challenges, including a delay in returning home due to the arrival of Boeing’s Starliner with NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Suni Williams. Their test flight turned into a prolonged stay at the ISS, resulting in the decision to bring them back on a SpaceX Crew Dragon in February 2025.
The return of Crew-8 was further complicated by Hurricane Milton, which impacted Florida with devastating winds, resulting in additional delays. As Endeavour prepares for its splashdown, Dominick, Barratt, Epps, and Grebenkin will have spent over 225 days in space, setting a record for the longest single flight in history by a crew-carrying spacecraft.
Comparing Historical Missions
While Crew-8 will set this record, it’s worth noting that 19 astronauts and cosmonauts have completed longer missions, with notable records including Valeri Polyakov’s incredible 437-day mission in 1994/1995 and Frank Rubio’s 371-day flight that concluded last fall. However, these long-duration missions often involved crew members launching and landing in different spacecraft.
The previous record for the longest mission by a crewed spacecraft was held by Soyuz TMA-9, which returned Mike Lopez-Alegria and Mikhail Tyurin to Earth after 215 days in 2006-2007.
Historic Conclusion
Endeavour’s upcoming landing marks the end of a 33-week space marathon for its crew, during which they have completed 3,600 orbits and flown 96 million miles (154 million km). Jeanette Epps is set to become the most experienced African-American astronaut upon her return. Additionally, Endeavour will finish its fifth mission with 695 days in space, doubling the time her shuttle namesake spent in orbit.
While Endeavour’s record will be impressive, it is unlikely to stand for long. Next March, Soyuz MS-27 will carry Russian cosmonauts Sergei Ryzhikov and Alexei Zubritsky, along with NASA’s Jonny Kim, on a mission expected to last until November 2025, thereby extending the ongoing narrative of exploration beyond Earth orbit.As humanity continues to push the boundaries of space travel, new records will inevitably be made, broken, and redefined in the coming years.
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