A Soyuz rocket blasted off today to the International Space Station (ISS) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, carrying one American and two Russian cosmonauts, amid tensions over the offensive in Ukraine.
"The stability is good, the crew feels good," said a NASA commentator after the liftoff, which was broadcast live from the portals of the American and Russian space agencies.
The Russian rocket took off at the scheduled time of 13.54:15 GMT (45:XNUMX CET) from the Kazakh steppe.
The mission of American Frank Rubio from NASA and Russians Sergei Prokopiev and Dmitry Petelin from the space agency Roscosmos represents a rare example of cooperation between Moscow and Washington at a time when their relations are at their lowest ebb.
Rubio is the first American astronaut to go to the MSS on a Russian rocket since the Russian military intervention in Ukraine began on February 24.
The crew is to spend six months on the International Space Station, where there are three Russian and three American cosmonauts, as well as one Italian cosmonaut.
This is the first flight for Franco Rubio and Dmitry Petelin and the second for Sergei Prokopiev.
The connection to the Russian segment of the MSS is planned after the three-hour journey of the Soyuz rocket.
Bonus video:
