The Russian Soyuz spacecraft took off tonight from Kazakhstan in the direction of the International Space Station (ISS) to return two Russian astronauts and one American to Earth in September.
The rescue craft MS-23, without a crew, was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
The launch was broadcast by the US space agency NASA, which operates the International Space Station together with the Russian space agency Roskosmos.
Bonus video:
