After their launch was postponed for two weeks because of glitches, a three-member international crew is finally on their way to space aboard Russia's upgraded Soyuz MS spacecraft, which took off from Kazakhstan on the morning of July 7.
The new crew, which is designated as Soyuz MS-01, comprises biologist Kate Rubins, now a NASA astronaut; Anatoly Ivanishin, a Russian cosmonaut and Takuya Onishi, an astronaut from the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
The trio will be the newest addition to the crew at the International Space Station (ISS), which is currently the home of NASA astronaut Jeff Williams and Russian cosmonauts Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin.
The Thursday launch was originally scheduled for June 24, but was delayed because of glitches in the spacecraft software, which could have affected the Soyuz craft's docking with the space station.
Before docking to the space station's Rassvet module on July 9, the new crew will first spend two days or 34 Earth orbits testing modified systems.
Preparations For The Soyuz MS-01 Mission
Rubins, Ivanishin and Onishi arrived at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in late June to complete final training and other pre-launch activities. Final preparations for the Soyuz spacecraft also took place during this time.
The Soyuz craft was filled with compressed gases and propellant on June 27. It was brought to the processing facility and mounted onto a jig for handling. The Soyuz craft was then mated to the adapter section of the launch vehicle on June 28 and was inspected for the last time on June 30.
After being assembled and mated with the craft on July 3, the Soyuz-FG rocket used in the launch was rolled out on the launch pad on July 4. The upgraded Soyuz rocket was created by Russian manufacturer RSC Energia.
Future Investigations
Known as Expedition 48, the current crew at the ISS will spend four months conducting more than 250 scientific investigations in various fields such as Earth science, biology, physical sciences, human research and technology development, according to NASA.
Crew members will receive and install the first international docking adapter on the ISS, which will accommodate arrivals of U.S. commercial crew spacecraft in the future.
This docking port is complete with built-in systems for automated docking and will be delivered to the ISS during the ninth commercial resupply mission of Elon Musk's aerospace company SpaceX.
Additionally, Expedition 48 is expected to receive the sixth commercial resupply mission of SpaceX's rival, American aerospace manufacturer Orbital ATK, as well as two Russian Progress resupply flights. Both will deliver tons of food, supplies, fuel and research equipment.
Watch the video of the launch below.
