The Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft, carrying two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut, successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, just over three hours after its launch. 🚀🌍
Launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Soyuz MS-26 made a rapid journey, orbiting Earth twice before connecting with the ISS—a swift trip compared to some missions that take days.
Inside the ISS, the new crew members—Mission Commander Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner, and Donald Pettit—will join NASA’s Tracy Dyson, Mike Barratt, Matthew Dominick, Jeanette Epps, Butch Wilmore, and Suni Williams, along with Russian cosmonauts Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin, and Oleg Kononenko.
Prior to the docking, the station’s crew was engaged in extensive system checks to ensure a smooth integration of the newcomers.
The Soyuz launch proceeded without any visible issues, a reassuring development for Russian space authorities, especially after a previous launch in March was paused due to a voltage drop in the power system.
Onboard the ISS, astronauts Wilmore and Williams, who arrived in June aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule, experienced thruster problems and helium leaks, delaying their return. NASA has planned for their safe journey back to Earth next year with SpaceX.
Stay tuned for more space exploration updates! 🛰️✨
