US-Russian Crew Launches to ISS: Journey to Space Station Begins

Three US astronauts and one Russian cosmonaut were on board a SpaceX rocket that took off from Florida on its way to the International Space Station (ISS).

They are on a six-month mission, and despite the conflict in Ukraine, space remains one of the few areas of tight cooperation between the US and Russia.

The three men and one women are aboard a capsule that Elon Musk’s SpaceX company has already used four times in space.

They have a number of experiments planned.

As it is not feasible to produce artificial human organ replicas on Earth, their research will involve doing so in order to study degenerative illnesses in a low-gravity environment.

On Monday at 03:53 GMT, the crew launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 22:53 local time.

Due to severe winds, Saturday’s initial attempt at launch was canceled.

Leading the expedition is American Matthew Dominick, who is flying into space for the first time with Russian Alexander Grebenkin and fellow American Jeanette Epps.

Doctor Michael Barratt, who is visiting the ISS for the third time, is the other crew member.

The International Space Station, which is managed by the space agencies of Canada, Europe, Japan, the United States, and Russia, is a unique instance of international cooperation involving multiple world countries.