Russia launched the ship to the International Space Station

Russia's Soyuz TMA-18 spacecraft takes off today to bring astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).

Soyuz TMA-18 flies into orbit on April 2.Photo: AP.

CNN Soyuz TMA-18 carrier carrying travelers Tracy Caldwell Dyson (USA) and two Russian astronauts Alexander Skvortsov and Mikhail Kornienko. The ship comes from a launch pad in Kazakhstan and flies into orbit at speeds of more than 13,000 km / h. It is planned to connect to ISS in two days.

Reuters said that currently astronauts Oleg Kotov (Russia), Timothy J. Creamer (USA) and Soichi Noguchi (Japan) are working on ISS. After Soyuz TMA-18 arrives, astronauts will make many walks to space.

The Soyuz TMA-18 launch took place three days before the US Space Agency (NASA) launched the space shuttle Discovery from the Kennedy Space Center in the state of Flordia. Discovery will bring a few more tons of research equipment to ISS. Its mission lasts for 13 days.