Mark Vande Hei returned from the ISS on a Russian Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft, along with cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov, CNN reported.
Vande Hei and Dubrov launched together in April 2021 and have spent 355 days in space, completing 5,680 orbits of Earth and more than 150 million miles.
The longest anyone has been in space was more than 437 days, a record held by Russian doctor Valeri Polyakov, according to the European Space Agency.
Vande Hei now holds the record for the longest spaceflight by an American astronaut, breaking Scott Kelly’s 340 days, CNN reported.
They landed in Kazakhstan at 7:28 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, The Washington Post reported.
The Soyuz landed upright, but the weather gave the crew an extra ride as winds got hold of the parachute pulling the capsule to its side which is not unusual, , the Post reported,.
Russian mission control posted an image of a screen reading “Welcome back, Mark!” written in both English and Russian, CNN reported.
After landing, Vande Hei, Shkaplerov and Dubrov had a health check and a two-hour helicopter ride. Vande Hei was expected to return to the U.S. on a Gulfstream jet after a refueling stop in Germany. The cosmonauts will be going back to their base in Star City, Russia.
NASA said it will continue to work closely with Russian space agency Roscosmos despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Both agencies said that their joint operations “continue to go well” earlier this month after Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin made some inflammatory social media posts directed at the U.S., including one that seemed to threaten that Vande Hei would be left in space, CNN reported.
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Back on Earth In this photo taken from video footage released by Roscosmos Space Agency, the Russian Soyuz MS-19 space capsule lands, southeast of the Kazakh town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. The Soyuz MS-19 capsule landed upright in the steppes of Kazakhstan on Wednesday with NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, Russian Roscosmos cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov. (Roscosmos Space Agency via AP) (AP)
Back on Earth In this photo released by Roscosmos Space Agency, the Russian Soyuz MS-19 space capsule lies on the ground shortly after the landing southeast of the Kazakh town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. The Soyuz MS-19 capsule landed upright in the steppes of Kazakhstan on Wednesday with NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, Russian Roscosmos cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov. (Alexander Pantiukhin, Roscosmos Space Agency via AP) (Alexander Pantiukhin/AP)
Back on Earth In this photo taken from video footage released by Roscosmos Space Agency, the Russian Soyuz MS-19 space capsule descends southeast of the Kazakh town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. The Soyuz MS-19 capsule landed upright in the steppes of Kazakhstan on Wednesday with NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, Russian Roscosmos cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov. (Roscosmos Space Agency via AP) (AP)
Back on Earth The Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft is seen as it lands in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan with Expedition 66 crew members Mark Vande Hei of NASA, and cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov, and Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. Vande Hei and Dubrov are returning to Earth after logging 355 days in space as members of Expeditions 64-66 aboard the International Space Station. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP) (NASA/Bill Ingalls/AP)
Back on Earth The Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft lands in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan with Expedition 66 crew members Mark Vande Hei of NASA, and cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov, and Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. Despite escalating tensions between the U.S. and Russia over Vladimir Putin’s war with Ukraine, Vande Hei’s return followed customary procedures. A small NASA team of doctors and other staff was on hand for the touchdown and planned to return immediately to Houston with the 55-year-old astronaut. (NASA via AP) (NASA/Bill Ingalls/AP)
Back on Earth In this photo taken from video footage released by Roscosmos Space Agency, rescue team members carry NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei shortly after the landing of the Russian Soyuz MS-19 space capsule southeast of the Kazakh town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. The Soyuz MS-19 capsule landed upright in the steppes of Kazakhstan on Wednesday with NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, Russian Roscosmos cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov. (Roscosmos Space Agency via AP) (AP)
Back on Earth The Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft is seen as it lands in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan with Expedition 66 crew members Mark Vande Hei of NASA, and cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov, and Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP) (NASA/Bill Ingalls/AP)
Back on Earth In this photo taken from video footage released by Roscosmos Space Agency, rescue team members carry NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei shortly after the landing of the Russian Soyuz MS-19 space capsule southeast of the Kazakh town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. The Soyuz MS-19 capsule landed upright in the steppes of Kazakhstan on Wednesday with NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, Russian Roscosmos cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov. (Roscosmos Space Agency via AP) (AP)
Back on Earth In this photo released by the Roscosmos Space Agency, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei sits in a chair shortly after the landing of the Russian Soyuz MS-19 space capsule southeast of the Kazakh town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. The Soyuz MS-19 capsule landed upright in the steppes of Kazakhstan on Wednesday with NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, Russian Roscosmos cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov. (Alexander Pantiukhin, Roscosmos Space Agency via AP) (Alexander Pantiukhin/AP)
Back on Earth In this photo taken from video footage released by Roscosmos Space Agency, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei sits in a chair shortly after the landing of the Russian Soyuz MS-19 space capsule southeast of the Kazakh town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. The Soyuz MS-19 capsule landed upright in the steppes of Kazakhstan on Wednesday with NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, Russian Roscosmos cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov. (Roscosmos Space Agency via AP) (AP)
Back on Earth Russian cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov is seen outside the Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft after he landed with fellow Expedition 66 crew members Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos, and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, March 30, 2022. Vande Hei and Dubrov are returning to Earth after logging 355 days in space as members of Expeditions 64-66 aboard the International Space Station. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP) (NASA/Bill Ingalls/AP)
Back on Earth NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei gives the thumbs up outside the Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft after he landed with Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, March 30, 2022. Vande Hei and Dubrov are returning to Earth after logging 355 days in space as members of Expeditions 64-66 aboard the International Space Station. (Bill Ingall/NASA via AP) (NASA/Bill Ingalls/AP)
Back on Earth In this photo taken from video footage released by Roscosmos Space Agency, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei sits in a chair shortly after the landing of the Russian Soyuz MS-19 space capsule southeast of the Kazakh town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. The Soyuz MS-19 capsule landed upright in the steppes of Kazakhstan on Wednesday with NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, Russian Roscosmos cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov. (Roscosmos Space Agency via AP) (AP)
Back on Earth In this photo taken from video footage released by Roscosmos Space Agency, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, left, and Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov sit in chairs shortly after the landing of the Russian Soyuz MS-19 space capsule southeast of the Kazakh town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. The Soyuz MS-19 capsule landed upright in the steppes of Kazakhstan on Wednesday with NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, Russian Roscosmos cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov. (Roscosmos Space Agency via AP) (AP)
Back on Earth Expedition 66 crew members Mark Vande Hei of NASA, left, cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov, center, and Pyotr Dubrov of Roscosmos, are seen inside their Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft after is landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. Despite escalating tensions between the U.S. and Russia over Vladimir Putin’s war with Ukraine, Vande Hei’s return followed customary procedures. A small NASA team of doctors and other staff was on hand for the touchdown and planned to return immediately to Houston with the 55-year-old astronaut. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP) (NASA/Bill Ingalls/AP)
Back on Earth Expedition 66 Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov is carried to a medical tent shortly after he and fellow crew mates Mark Vande Hei of NASA and Pyotr Dubrov of Roscosmos landed in their Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, March 30, 2022. Vande Hei and Dubrov are returning to Earth after logging 355 days in space as members of Expeditions 64-66 aboard the International Space Station. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP) (NASA/Bill Ingalls/AP)
Back on Earth In this photo taken from video footage released by Roscosmos Space Agency, rescue team members stand around the Russian Soyuz MS-19 space capsule shortly after the landing southeast of the Kazakh town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. The Soyuz MS-19 capsule landed upright in the steppes of Kazakhstan on Wednesday with NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, Russian Roscosmos cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov. (Roscosmos Space Agency via AP) (AP)
Back on Earth This photo provided by NASA shows a "Welcome Back" sign for NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei at Russian Mission Control Center on Wednesday, March 30, 2022. Mark Vande Hei landed in a Soyuz capsule in Kazakhstan alongside the Russian Space Agency’s Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov, who also spent the past year in space. Despite escalating tensions between the U.S. and Russia over Vladimir Putin’s war with Ukraine, Vande Hei’s return followed customary procedures. (Bill Ingall/NASA via AP). (AP)
Back on Earth In this photo taken from video footage released by Roscosmos Space Agency, rescue team members carry Russian cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov shortly after the landing of the Russian Soyuz MS-19 space capsule southeast of the Kazakh town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. The Soyuz MS-19 capsule landed upright in the steppes of Kazakhstan on Wednesday with NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, Russian Roscosmos cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov. (Roscosmos Space Agency via AP) (AP)
Back on Earth Russian Search and Rescue teams arrive at the Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft shortly after it landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan with Expedition 66 crew members Mark Vande Hei of NASA, and cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov, and Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP) (NASA/Bill Ingalls/AP)
Back on Earth In this photo taken from video footage released by Roscosmos Space Agency, Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov sits in a chair shortly after the landing of the Russian Soyuz MS-19 space capsule southeast of the Kazakh town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. The Soyuz MS-19 capsule landed upright in the steppes of Kazakhstan on Wednesday with NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, Russian Roscosmos cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov. (Roscosmos Space Agency via AP) (AP)
Back on Earth FILE - In this photo provided by NASA, U.S. astronaut and Expedition 66 Flight Engineer Mark Vande Hei peers at the Earth below from inside the seven-windowed cupola, the International Space Station's window to the world on Feb. 4, 2022. (Kayla Barron/NASA via AP, File) (Kayla Barron/AP)
Back on Earth FILE - In this Aug. 17, 2021 photo made available by NASA, astronaut and Expedition 65 Flight Engineer Mark Vande Hei inspects a spacesuit in preparation for a spacewalk at the International Space Station. (NASA via AP, File) (AP)
Back on Earth Expedition 66 NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei is carried to a medical tent shortly after he and fellow crew mates Pyotr Dubrov and Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos landed in their Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, March 30, 2022. Vande Hei and Dubrov are returning to Earth after logging 355 days in space as members of Expeditions 64-66 aboard the International Space Station. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP) (NASA/Bill Ingalls/AP)
Back on Earth Expedition 66 Russian cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov is carried to a medical tent shortly after he and fellow crew mates Mark Vande Hei of NASA and Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos landed in their Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, March 30, 2022. Vande Hei and Dubrov are returning to Earth after logging 355 days in space as members of Expeditions 64-66 aboard the International Space Station. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP) (NASA/Bill Ingalls/AP)
