American-Russian Crew Launched to International Space Station from Soyuz 2.1a Rocket

A Soyuz-2.1a rocket carrying a joint American-Russian crew lifted off Tuesday morning from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, marking the latest crewed launch to the International Space Station (ISS) under the ongoing cross-flight agreement between Roscosmos and NASA.

The rocket launched at 08:47 Moscow time from Launch Pad 31, carrying Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Ryzhikov and Alexei Zubritsky, along with NASA astronaut Jonathan Kim. The spacecraft, Soyuz MS-27, is scheduled to dock with the Russian Prichal module of the ISS at 12:04 Moscow time following a superfast two-orbit approach lasting about 3 hours and 17 minutes.

The mission is set to last 245 days, during which the crew will conduct more than 40 scientific experiments and perform two scheduled spacewalks under the Russian program. The expedition is expected to conclude on December 9.

NASA astronaut Kim’s participation in the flight is part of the U.S.-Russia cross-flight agreement, first signed in July 2022 and extended through 2026. The agreement allows U.S. astronauts to fly aboard Russian Soyuz spacecraft, while Russian cosmonauts travel on American Crew Dragon missions.

Roscosmos stated that this launch is also dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, with the Soyuz rocket unofficially named the “Victory Rocket” for the occasion.

The flight continues routine crew rotation on the ISS, ensuring consistent presence and collaboration between international partners aboard the orbital research platform.