Record-Setting Astronaut Returns to Earth

Astronaut Christina Koch returned to Earth on Thursday, Feb. 6, after 328 days living and working aboard the International Space Station. She now holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by any woman.

During her historic mission, Koch completed 5,248 orbits of Earth and a journey of 139 million miles, roughly the equivalent of 291 trips to the Moon and back. She took part in a number of long-duration spaceflight studies, helping advance our goals of returning humans to the Moon under the Artemis program and preparing for human exploration of Mars.

This isn’t the first time this inspirational astronaut has made history. Koch took part in the first all-woman spacewalk alongside astronaut Jessica Meir.