Russian spacecraft takes the new crew to ISS

Earlier this morning, Russia launched the Soyuz spacecraft to bring a new three-astronaut crew to the International Space Station (ISS), nearly 50 years after Yuri Gagarin's first space flight.

Soyuz is leaving the launch pad in Kazakhstan.

Two Russian astronauts and one American astronaut are expected to meet three other people soon - a Russian, an American and an Italian - on ISS.

Their ship was decorated with names and portraits of Russian astronaut Yuri Gagarin, the first person to fly into space. The history trip of Gagarin (April 12, 1961) will celebrate the 50th anniversary this month.

The Russian Soyuz TMA-1 was launched from Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan at 4:18 am on April 5, local time (ie 7h18 Vietnamese time), and is expected to be updated on this ISS by 5.

This is the first time two Russian astronauts Andrei Borisenko, 46, and Alexander Samokutyayev, 40, came to ISS, while American astronaut Ron Garan, 49, once lived on ISS for 13 days in a ship mission. shuttle in 2008.

3 astronauts of the trip.

' We have Ron, an experienced man and he promised to help us in some problems and overcome the strange feelings we might encounter , ' the astronaut Samokutyayev told the press first. when boarding Soyuz.

Traditionally, three astronauts visited the cabin where Gagarin spent the last night before making the flight.

Astronaut Ron Garan said he was thrilled to visit the cabin, where all the furniture and even the personal belongings of the pioneering space house remained intact.

50 years ago, a country brought an astronaut into the universe, basically for a race. But today, three of us represent many countries of international cooperation that built ISS , 'Garan said.

Video Soyuz ship launch: