Soyuz Spacecraft Launches Astronauts to ISS

A Soyuz spacecraft successfully launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, carrying American astronaut Don Pettit alongside Russian cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Wagner, heading to the International Space Station (ISS). The launch occurred late Wednesday evening, with the spacecraft expected to dock with the ISS in approximately three hours. This mission underscores the continued cooperation between the U.S. and Russia in space, despite geopolitical tensions due to the war in Ukraine, with manned flights agreed to continue until at least 2025. Upon reaching orbit, the total number of astronauts currently in space increased to a record 19, aboard four different spacecraft. Pettit, now NASA's oldest active astronaut at 69, expressed excitement about the growing number of people in space and the expanding opportunities for human activity in orbit. This marks Pettit's fourth spaceflight and first in over a decade.