Russian Astronauts in Space

A Russian rocket carrying three astronauts, one American and two Russians, launched from Kazakh this morning. The successful liftoff renews confidence for the U.S. and Russian space programs, as well as the international space station.

 The launch took place at 10:14 a.m. from Russia's Baikonur Cosmodrome. The spacecraft is a Soyuz TMS-22 rocket, part of the Russian program. The astronauts, Daniel Burbank, Anton Shkaplerov, and Anatoly Ivanishin, are being sent to the space station to relieve the current crew who have been there since June, according to the New York Times.

 The crew, who are scheduled to reach the space station on Wednesday, is the first to enter orbit since the elimination of NASA’s 30-year shuttle program in July. This launch marks the beginning of sole Russian dependence for the space station. The U.S. has turned over all crewed flights to Russia in exchange for $350 million a year, according to an article by MSNBC.

 This morning’s liftoff came also came as a relief due to the malfunctions with recent launch attempts.  In August, a Russian Soyuz rocket failed due to a manufacturing flaw with the engine, raising speculation about the future of the space station. This delayed today’s launch, which was originally scheduled for September, according to STLToday.com.

 “We don't have any black thoughts. We have faith in our equipment,” Shkaplerov told Russian news agencies according to an MSNBC article.

 Without today’s launch, the space station outpost would have to be abandoned for the first time in 11 years. Once there, Burbank will lead his fellow astronauts in conducting various scientific experiments and in welcoming a surge of new commercial space expeditions from various independent technology companies, reported the New York Times.

 The next group of astronauts is scheduled to leave for the space station on December 21, according to an StlToday.com report.

Photo by thebadastronomer.