Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Samokutyaev, who served twice aboard the International Space Station (ISS), has died at the age of 56. A veteran of two missions, including as commander on the final US space shuttle mission in 2011, he joins a remarkable legacy.

Samokutyaev first launched on April 4, 2011, aboard Soyuz TMA-21 with Andrey Borisenko and Ron Garan. For his second trip, he returned to the ISS as flight engineer for expeditions 27 and 28, sharing space with an international crew that included NASA’s Cady Coleman and Paolo Nespoli from ESA.

“The leadership and staff of the Roscosmos State Corporation extend their sincere condolences to his family,” said a statement. Samokutyaev joined the cosmonaut corps in 2003, completing basic training two years later and qualifying for spaceflight assignments.

With his passing, he is remembered as the first former ISS long-duration resident to die since the station's inception in 1998. His death marks a bittersweet chapter in the history of human space exploration.