1 of 2 | Two Russian cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut departed for a mission to the International Space Station on Friday aboard a Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Photo by Maxim Shipenkov/EPA-EFE
Sept. 15 (UPI) — Two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut embarked on a journey to the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday. The trio departed from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on board a Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft.
The spacecraft, propelled by a Soyuz 2.1a booster rocket, was launched at 11:44 a.m. from the Cosmodrome’s Site 31/6. It is anticipated to dock at the ISS at 2:56 p.m. EDT.
The hatch opening is scheduled for 4:45 p.m.
The mission, officially known as Expedition 70, consists of Russian cosmonauts Nikolai Chub and Oleg Kononenko, along with NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara.
Kononenko, who has participated in four previous ISS missions, currently holds the record for the highest cumulative time spent in space, totaling 736 days.
Previous cosmonauts and astronauts were obliged to postpone their return to Earth due to a coolant leak in a previous Soyuz capsule.
As a result of the delayed return, American astronaut Frank Rubio, who arrived at the ISS in September 2022, will break the record for the longest continuous time spent in space by a U.S. astronaut. The return trip is planned for September 27 at the earliest.
This scheduled return date means Rubio will have spent more than a calendar year continuously in space, marking a first for an American astronaut.
NASA marked Rubio’s record achievement by commemorating the previous U.S. record holder Mark Vande Hei.
“Astronaut Mark Vande Hei ‘passes the torch’ to astronaut Frank Rubio, who just beat his record for the single longest U.S. spaceflight. Rubio’s extended stay aboard the space station helps us see how the human body reacts to microgravity and informs future missions to deep space,” NASA posted on Tuesday.
The launch was live-streamed by NASA TV. Watch the stream here.
