Russian astronaut who held record for longest space mission dies aged 81

Russian astronaut Valery Polyakov, who set the record for the longest space mission has died, aged 80, as reported on Monday, September 19.

The death of Russia astronaut Valery Polyakov was reported by Russian Space Agency Roscosmos.

The agency stated:

“Roscosmos State Corporation regrets to announce the death of Valery Polyakov, Hero of the Soviet Union, Hero of Russia, USSR pilot-cosmonaut, holder of the world record for the longest flight into space (437 days).

The state corporation also expressed its condolences to the cosmonaut’s relatives and loved ones.

Polyakov set the record for the longest space mission during the Mir spacewalk from January 1994 to March 1995.

For this flight he was awarded the title of Hero of Russia. For his first flight in 1989 he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

The news follow reports that on Sunday, 7 August 2022, Russian astronaut Anatoly Filipchenko, a participant in the world’s first group flight of three spacecrafts, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, passed away at the 95th year of his life, on Sunday, August 7, as reported by Russia’s state-owned Roscosmos Space corporation.

In addition, President Vladimir Putin dismissed the head of the state-run Roscosmos Space corporation, Dmitry Rogozin, as reported on Friday, July 15.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article, do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.