A New Crew Takes Off for the ISS

A team of space explorers has just begun their journey to the International Space Station (ISS). This mission involves a mix of seasoned and new astronauts. The Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft, powered by a Soyuz 2. 1a rocket, took off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The launch happened at 12:28 pm Moscow time, which is 0928 GMT. The crew consists of two Russians and one American. Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, a Russian commander, is on his second spaceflight. His fellow Russian, Sergei Mikayev, and NASA astronaut Christopher Williams are both making their first trip to space. After launch, the Soyuz will orbit Earth twice before docking with the ISS. The docking is expected to happen at 1238 GMT. Once they arrive, the crew will spend about eight months on the ISS. Their return to Earth is planned for late July 2026. This mission is part of the ongoing collaboration between Russia and the United States in space exploration. Space missions like this one are crucial for scientific research and international cooperation. They help us understand more about living in space and how to explore further into the cosmos. The crew's work on the ISS will contribute to many areas of science, from biology to physics.