Russia’s Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft blasts off with Belarusian cosmonaut on board

Russia’s Soyuz-2.1a rocket, carrying the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft and a crew of three, embarks on its journey to the ISS from Baikonur, overcoming a launch delay with a successful Saturday liftoff

Russia’s Soyuz-2.1a, carrying the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft, was successfully launched from Site 31 of the Baikonur spaceport on Saturday, according to Russia’s news agency TASS.

The spacecraft reached orbit in approximately nine minutes. Its destination is the Prichal nodal module of the International Space Station (ISS), where it is scheduled to dock on March 25 at 6:10 p.m. Moscow time (3:10 p.m. GMT).

The crew onboard consists of three members: Marina Vasilevskaya from Belarus, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky, and NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson.

Novitsky and Vasilevskaya will spend 12 days at the ISS before returning to Earth aboard the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft, alongside NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara, on April 6. Dyson’s mission will extend until September, when she will return to Earth with Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko and Nikolay Chub.

The launch, initially planned for Thursday, faced an automatic abort seconds before liftoff due to an issue with a chemical power source.

Source: AA