Record-Setting Russian Cosmonaut Briefly Joins One More Orbit Round-the-World Trip

Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, who has spent the most time in space, briefly joined an international world record flight attempt, One More Orbit, before getting off to visit the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th July, 2019) Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, who has spent the most time in space, briefly joined an international world record flight attempt, One More Orbit, before getting off to visit the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius.

The Gulfstream plane set out from Cape Canaveral on Tuesday on the two-day mission to break the 2008 record for the fastest round-the-world trip that goes over the North and South Poles. It made a refueling stop in Kazakhstan where it was joined by Padalka for the Nur-Sultan-Port Louis leg.

"Thank you Col. Gennady Padalka for joining our OneMoreOrbit team for the NurSultan - Mauritius flight sector. It's been a real honor!" the mission wrote on Twitter.

Hamish Harding, the chairman of UK-based aircraft company Action Aviation who leads the mission, said the Mauritius prime minister would be meeting with Padalka on Thursday to welcome him to the island.

On Wednesday, Gulfstream left the Mauritius capital of Port Louis for the third 20-hour leg of the journey that will take it to Punta Arenas in Chile through the South Pole.

The team of US, UK, Qatari, Danish, South African and Ukrainian pilots hopes to cover 25,803 miles and return to its starting point in just under 48 hours. They hope to break the record of a Bombardier Global Express plane that circumnavigated the Earth pole-to-pole in 52 hours and 32 minutes.