The International Space Station will be getting some more crew. Russia has successfully launched a manned Soyuz rocket to the station.
The Soyuz MS-11 was successfully launched from a launchpad at Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, at roughly 6:30 AM EST yesterday. The spacecraft, containing the three person crew of American Anne McClain, Canadian David Saint-Jacques, and Russian Oleg Kononenko took roughly six hours to reach the International Space Station.
This marks Russia’s first successful manned spacecraft launch to the ISS since the mishap in October. A rocket malfunction, apparently the result of a faulty sensor, forced the two crew members aboard the rocket to make an emergency landing two minutes into liftoff.
The launch yesterday went without incident, as was confirmed by NASA TV who were streaming the launch live. The crew members aboard the Soyuz will be joining the three spacefarers already aboard the International Space Station. Alexander Gerst, Serena Auñón-Chancellor, and Russia’s Sergey Prokopyev will make their way home on the 20th of December after a six-month assignment. This gives Anne McClain, David Saint-Jacques, and Oleg Kononenko two weeks to learn the ropes from their predecessors before they are on their own until another crew is sent to the station.
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