US-Russian crew of three blasts off to space station in Russian Soyuz spacecraft

 A US-Russian crew of three began a mission to the International Space Station aboard a Russian spacecraft following a succesful launch. A Soyuz booster rocket lifted off at 2.27 pm (9:27 am GMT) from the Russia-leased Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan to put the Soyuz MS-28 into orbit.  The spacecraft carried NASA astronaut Chris Williams and two Russian crewmates, Sergei Mikaev and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov.

They were scheduled to dock at the station about three hours after liftoff.All three are expected to spend about eight months at the orbiting outpost. NASA said this is the first spaceflight for Williams, a physicist, and Mikaev, a military pilot. This is the second flight for Kud-Sverchkov.At the International Space Station, the trio will join NASA astronauts Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman and Jonny Kim, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s astronaut Kimiya Yui and Russian cosmonauts Sergei Ryzhikov, Alexei Zubritsky and Oleg Platonov.

Williams will conduct scientific research and technology demonstrations at the orbiting outpost aimed at advancing human space exploration. The spacecraft carried NASA astronaut Chris Williams and two Russian crewmates, Sergei Mikaev and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergei Mikaev, NASA astronaut Chris Williams, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov wave farewell prior to boarding the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft for launch at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan              ap