Soyuz spacecraft blasts off for International Space Station with Russian and American crew

A Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft launches for an expedition to the International Space Station (ISS) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan Nov 27, 2025. REUTERS/Pavel Mikheyev

A Russian Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft blasted off for the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday with two Russian cosmonauts and one NASA astronaut on board, a live stream of the launch showed.

The Soyuz 2.1a rocket lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 12:28pm Moscow time (0928 GMT).

The crew included Russian commander Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, making his second spaceflight, fellow Russian cosmonaut Sergei Mikayev, and NASA astronaut Christopher Williams, both flying to space for the first time.

After lift-off, the Soyuz was scheduled to orbit the Earth twice before performing an automated docking with the ISS Rassvet module at 1238 GMT later on Thursday.

Once docked, the crew will enter the ISS where they are due to spend the next eight months. Their return to Earth is currently planned for late Jul 2026.