spacetoday.net: Soyuz sends new crew to ISS

Posted: Tue, Dec 4, 2018, 5:06 PM ET (2206 GMT)
Soyuz MS-11 launch (NASA)

A Soyuz spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station Monday after a successful launch from Kazakhstan. The Soyuz rocket carrying the Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 6:31 am EST (1131 GMT), placing the spacecraft into orbit nine minutes later. Soyuz MS-11, carrying Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, American astronaut Anne McClain and Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques, docked with the ISS at about 12:33 pm EST (1733 GMT). The launch was the first crewed mission for the Soyuz since the Oct. 11 Soyuz MS-10 launch that suffered an abort two minutes after liftoff because of a booster malfunction. Prior to the launch, the crew of this mission said they were confident in both the rocket and the spacecraft and were looking forward to a busy time in the coming months on the ISS.