NASA Astronaut Breaks Agency's Record for Longest Stay in Space

He's still in good spirits.

Record Breaker

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio has now spent more consecutive days in the Earth's orbit than any other NASA astronaut before him.

The 47-year-old US Army veteran has spent the last 355 days and counting aboard the International Space Station, a staggeringly long stay hundreds of miles above the Earth's surface.

"In some ways, it's been an incredible challenge," he said during a live stream on Wednesday. "But in other ways, it's been an incredible blessing."

Year in Space

The previous record for the longest time spent in orbit by an American was set by NASA astronaut Mark Vande last year, who topped out at 355 days on board the ISS.

The world record, however, is held by Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov, who spent 437 days back in 1994 on board the Soviet space station Mir.

Rubio's scheduled departure on September 27 means that he will spend a total of 371 days in space, as Agence France-Presse points out, without topping Polyakov's accomplishment.

He traveled to the space station last year on board a Russian Soyuz rocket alongside two other cosmonauts. Yet an unexpected leak of the docked capsule in December forced the three space travelers to fill in for the next crew and extend their stay significantly.

Unsurprisingly, spending almost an entire year on board a tiny space station has its toll, with Rubio describing the experience as "psychologically... a little bit of a challenge."

"Once you're up here for a little bit, you really get focused on the work and sometimes you forget to appreciate the fact that you are floating around and that you have this amazing view down below you," Rubio said during the livestream.

More on astronauts: Scientists Alarmed by What Space Station Astronauts Appear to Be Breathing