Soyuz-27 mission launches international crew to the ISS
The Soyuz-27 spacecraft with an international crew on board launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut are headed to the International Space Station (ISS). A crowd of onlookers watched the rocket launch.
The Soyuz-27 spacecraft, with two Russian cosmonauts and one American astronaut, launched on Tuesday, April 8th from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The crew reached the International Space Station (ISS) after more than three hours of flight.
Mission to the ISS
Russians Sergey Ryzhikov and Aleksei Zubritski, along with American Jonathan Kim, are on board the Soyuz. The mission participants will spend eight months on the ISS and return to Earth on December 9, 2025.
For Kim and Zubritski, this is their first space flight, while Ryzhikov already has experience from two previous missions to the ISS.
Kim, Ryzhikov, and Zubritski will join three NASA astronauts, three Russians, and one astronaut from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
While at the station, Jonathan Kim will conduct scientific and technological research aimed at helping prepare future crews for space missions. The Russian corporation Roscosmos announced that the Russian mission participants will conduct around 50 scientific experiments.
International cooperation
Interestingly, about 2,500 tourists observed the spaceship's launch from Baikonur, which is a record number.
It’s worth noting that Russia has leased the Baikonur Cosmodrome from Kazakhstan since 1991 for 115 million dollars annually, under an agreement effective until 2050.
