Russian rocket launches 3 astronauts to ISS
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The Soyuz TMA-06M spacecraft blasts off from the Russian leased Kazakhstan's Baikonur cosmodrome, on Oct 23, 2012. A Russian rocket carrying an international crew of US astronaut Kevin Ford together with Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Evgeny Tarelkin blasted off today without a hitch to the International Space Station (ISS). --PHOTO: AFP
BAIKONUR (AFP) - A Russian rocket carrying two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut blasted off on Tuesday for the International Space Station.
Russia's Mr Oleg Novitskiy and Mr Evgeny Tarelkin and Nasa's Mr Kevin Ford blasted off in a Soyuz TMA-06M space craft on schedule at 1051 GMT (6.51pm Singapore time) from Russia's Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, an AFP correspondent said.
Russian state television showed live footage of the astronauts strapped into the cramped craft and reading instructions, with their mascot, a toy hippo with a "Russia" logo swinging above them.
The Soyuz spacecraft is due to dock with the ISS on Thursday at 1235 GMT (8.35pm Singapore time).
