The latest triplet of astronauts are safely distance - bound after an other morning time launch out of Kazakhstan . Soyuz will take the scenic route to meet the International Space Station , which is in a high - than - usual orbit after avoiding place dust . After moorage , the station ’s work party will temporarily grow to nine astronauts .
Astronauts Aidyn Aimbetov , Sergey Volkov and Andreas Mogensen quick to launch on September 2 , 2015 . simulacrum reference : NASA
Roscomoso cosmonaut Sergey Volkov is returning to space , while European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen and Kazcosmos astronaut Aidyn Aimbetov are new fliers . Morgensen is the first spaceman from Denmark , while Aimbetov is the third from the Republic of Kazakhstan .
plunge successiveness of the Soyuz TMA-18 M blasting off on September 2 , 2015 . Credit : ESA / S. Corvaja / Mika McKinnon
The crew are joining six spaceman already in orbital cavity . This is the first time nine astronauts are on the place station at the same time since November 2013 when the Olympic Torch relay race descend to domain .
Astronauts engage intraditional Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree - plantingprior to launch . Image cite : NASA / Thomas Pesquet
Astronauts typically expend six months in orbit , returning to Earth on the Soyuz they launched in , but theYear in Space experimentis make logistics far more complicated . Gennady Padalka , Scott Kelly , and Mikhail Kornienko who fall up on Soyuz TMA-16 M on March 27 , 2015 . Oleg Kononenko , Kimiya Yui and Kjell Lindgren launched on Soyuz TMA-17 on July 22 , 2015 .
The space vehicle was deliver to the launchpad via a small train . Image course credit : Roscosmos
Theorbital lifespan for Soyuz spacecraftmeans that Kornienko and Kelly will be out - staying their guile , returning home with Volkov on the newly - come TMA-18 M in March 2016 . Meanwhile , Padalka is remove his TMA-16A down , returning to Earth with the freshly - coin veteran astronauts Mogensen and Aimbetov on Saturday , September 11 , 2015 . Their undocking will end the ten - day“iriss ” missionand kick off the start of Expedition 45 .
Soyuz TMA-18 M on the launch pad and quick to go . Image mention : NASA / Thomas Pesquet
The Soyuz TMA-18 M launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 10:37am local prison term Wednesday , September 2 , 2015 . The launching took position just47 second after the space station passed direct overheadof the pad . This was the 500th launch from the same launch launching pad used tolaunch the first human to spaceon April 12 , 1961 : Yuri Gagarin .
Soyuz TMA-18 M is the five-hundredth launch from Gagarin ’s launch pad at Baikonur Cosmodrome . figure credit : NASA / Roscosmos / Andreas Mogensen
The spacecraft will make 36 domain of the Earth at 28,800 kilometers per hour ( 17,900 miles per hour ) overtwo daysto progress to the International Space Station . This is the older , foresighted approach path , postulate by thespace station ’s recent dust - shunning maneuveringplacing it in a high sphere .
A dependable and successful launching for Soyuz . Image citation : ESA / S. Corvaja
Watch a replay of the launch here :
https://livestream.com/accounts/362/events/4282866/player?autoPlay=false&mute=false
The Russian Soyuz space vehicle is currently theonly way for astronauts to strain the International Space Station , althoughNASA proceed to quest after develop a competing commercial crew program .
suss out out more photographs of therocket ’s rollout hereand of thelaunch here .
connect with the writer at[email protected]or follow her at@MikaMcKinnon .
launching report
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