Photo courtesy of Anadolu
A Russian Soyuz-2.1a rocket carrying the Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft successfully lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Tuesday, sending three members of Expedition 75 to the International Space Station (ISS).
The spacecraft separated from the launch vehicle about nine minutes after liftoff and entered orbit before beginning its scheduled two-orbit journey to the station’s Russian segment.
Soyuz MS-29 was set to dock with the ISS Prichal module at around 8:56 p.m. Moscow time, beginning a mission expected to last 261 days.
The crew includes Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina, along with NASA astronaut Anil Menon, who will serve as the mission’s commander and make his first trip to space.
Dubrov and Kikina will complete their second space missions, while the backup crew consists of Roscosmos cosmonauts Konstantin Borisov and Dmitry Petelin, and NASA astronaut Deniz Burnham.
The astronauts are expected to conduct around 40 scientific experiments and other planned activities during their stay aboard the ISS.
The spacecraft also carried Russian food selections prepared for the “First in Space” food festival held during Russia’s Space Week celebrations.