For the first time since October's rocket failure, the Russian Space Agency launched a Soyuz rocket to the International Space Station (ISS) carrying astronauts.
Three astronauts were on board Monday for the launch. One was NASA's very own Ann McClain, along with the Canadian Space Agency's David Saint-Jacques and Oleg Kononenko of Russia's Roscomos. The three will join Sergey Prokopyev, Serena Auñón-Chancellor and Alexander Gerst.
On Monday, Gerst tweeted a welcome to the astronauts who were on their way, and congratulated Roscosmos on the "flawless launch." He also shared photos of the current ISS crew preparing the station for the new crew members.
Congratulations to the Russian Space Agency @roscosmos and all international partners for a flawless launch of #SoyuzMS11. And welcome to space, @Astro_DavidS, @AstroAnnimal and Oleg! #Exp57 #Exp58 #Horizons pic.twitter.com/rzEjtm2PcO
— Alexander Gerst (@Astro_Alex) December 3, 2018
The crew launched at 6:31 a.m. EST Monday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It will take them roughly six hours to make it to the ISS, where they are expected to dock around 12:36 p.m. EST. The hatch opening of the Soyuz is scheduled for 2:35 p.m. EST.
Earlier, @AstroAnnimal, @Astro_DavidS and Oleg Kononenko climbed aboard their launch vehicle ahead of their 6:31am ET liftoff to head to their new home on @Space_Station for a six-and-a-half-month mission. Watch live coverage: https://t.co/i3hRug3u5w pic.twitter.com/p6Tq9iv0mE
— NASA (@NASA) December 3, 2018
That docking and hatch opening are both scheduled to be live streamed on NASA TV. That stream is available on the NASA website under the NASA TV tab. The pre-docking coverage will be on the media channel because the public channel will have coverage of the OSIRIS-REx arrival at the asteroid Bennu. The actual docking will be on all the channels, as will the welcome ceremony and the hatch opening.
The launch is also significant because it could be one of the last launches of a NASA astronaut from the Cosmodrome. NASA and its commercial partners like SpaceX and Boeing are aiming to launch astronauts to the ISS next year. SpaceX is scheduled to test its crew craft in January 2019 and had a crewed demonstration scheduled for June, according to NASA.
SpaceX is also scheduled to launch a mission resupply to the ISS on Tuesday. The launch coverage is scheduled for 1 p.m. EST Tuesday and will bring needed supplies as well as science experiments. The actual launch is scheduled for 1:39 p.m. EST. The launch is scheduled to take place at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
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Nina was a breaking news reporter. She previously worked at Business Insider, The Boston Globe, and Boston.com.
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