How long did Alexander Gerst spend in space?

Short answer

Alexander Gerst took part in two long-duration ISS missions: from May 28 to November 10, 2014, on Blue Dot, and from June 6 to December 20, 2018, on horizons. In total that adds up to about a year in space, more than any other German astronaut. In 2018 he became the first German to command the station.

Published: September 26, 2026 · Updated: September 26, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

How long did Alexander Gerst spend in space?

ISS-40 Alexander Gerst in the Cupola

Two Soyuz Flights, Two Half-Years

The first stay began on May 28, 2014, with the launch of a Soyuz from Baikonur, alongside Reid Wiseman and Maxim Suraev; landing on the Kazakh steppe came on November 10, 2014. The mission was called Blue Dot and included, besides materials research and medicine, one spacewalk. The second flight launched on June 6, 2018, with Serena Auñón-Chancellor and Sergei Prokopyev, and ended on December 20, 2018. This mission was called horizons.

Commander of an Eventful Expedition

In the second half of horizons, Gerst took command of the station, the first German to do so. That period was not quiet: a small leak appeared in the docked Soyuz, which the crew sealed in flight, and shortly after, a Soyuz aborted shortly after launch, so the planned relief crew didn't arrive and the crew on board had to work longer than planned, reduced to three people. Station operations had to be rescheduled accordingly.

From Volcano Researcher to Record Holder

Gerst is a geophysicist and, before his selection into the European astronaut corps, worked on active volcanoes. On board he oversaw hundreds of experiments, mainly in materials science, radiation biology, and Earth observation, and at the same time became the best-known face of German spaceflight, because he constantly shared his images and explanations with the public. In cumulative time in space, he surpasses all other German astronauts; before him, that spot belonged to Thomas Reiter.