Space travel
Two Russians and a US astronaut successfully launched into space
Astronaut Loral O’Hara and her cosmonaut colleagues Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub before the spacecraft launch. photo
© Ivan Timoshenko/Roscosmos space corporation/AP/dpa
The astronaut and the two cosmonauts were able to begin their journey to the ISS on time. They have several tasks to complete on board the space station.
In the evening, two Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Niolai Tschub launched into space together with US astronaut Loral O’Hara on board a Soyuz launch vehicle. The space capsule detached from the last stage of the launch vehicle as planned at 6:53 p.m. Moscow time (5:53 p.m. CEST) and headed for the International Space Station (ISS), the Interfax news agency reported. The flight to the ISS is expected to last just over three hours.
First flight for the two cosmonauts
According to the plan, O’Hara will remain in space for about six months, Kononenko and Tschub even for about a year. Four exits into the open space and four arrivals of cargo flights are planned during the expedition. The astronauts will also carry out numerous scientific experiments.
It is already the fifth for Kononenko Flight. O’Hara and Tschub, on the other hand, have their premiere.