A Russian Soyuz rocket carrying three astronauts successfully lifted off from the Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan on Saturday. This marks a triumphant launch just two days after the previous attempt was aborted at the last second due to a voltage drop triggering the safety system.
The crew includes NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson, Russian Oleg Novitsky, and Marina Vasilevskaya from Belarus. The spacecraft reached orbit eight minutes post-launch and embarked on a two-day, 34-orbit journey to join the International Space Station, with docking now expected at 1510 GMT Monday.
Originally scheduled for Thursday, the aborted launch highlighted the complexities of space missions, but the successful Saturday launch ensures the continuation of the ISS crew, comprising NASA astronauts Loral O'Hara, Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, alongside Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Alexander Grebenkin.
Upon completing their mission, Novitsky, Vasilevskaya, and O'Hara will return to Earth on April 6, concluding their journey aboard the ISS.
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Russian Soyuz rocket with 3 astronauts blasts off to the ISS
cgtn.com
