A Russian Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft launched to the International Space Station on Thursday, carrying two Russian cosmonauts and one NASA astronaut, a live stream of the event showed. The Soyuz 2.1a rocket lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 12:28 pm Moscow time (0928 GMT).
The crew includes Russian commander Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, who is making his second spaceflight, along with fellow Russian cosmonaut Sergei Mikayev and NASA astronaut Christopher Williams, both on their first missions to space.
Following lift-off, the Soyuz is scheduled to orbit the Earth twice before performing an automated docking with the ISS Rassvet module at 1238 GMT later on Thursday. Once docked, the astronauts and cosmonauts will enter the ISS to begin an eight-month mission. Their return to Earth is currently planned for late July 2026.
The mission marks another step in continued international cooperation in low Earth orbit, with Russian and U.S. crew members working alongside partners from other spacefaring nations aboard the ISS.
