Russia successfully launches manned spacecraft for space station

Russia's Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft carrying three astronauts successfully took off for the International Space Station (ISS) and entered the planned orbit Thursday, Russian state space corporation Roscosmos said.

A Soyuz-FG rocket booster carrying the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexei Ovchinin, NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Christina H. Koch of the ISS Expedition 59/60 prime crew aboard lifts off to the International Space Station (ISS) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, March 14, 2019. [Photo: IC]

Soyuz-FG rocket blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 22:14 Moscow time (1914 GMT), Roscosmos said in a press release.

At 22:23 Moscow time (1923 GMT), the spacecraft detached from the third launch vehicle stage and continued its autonomous flight to the ISS under the guidance of specialists from the Russian Mission Control Center.

Soyuz MS-12, carrying Roscosmos astronaut Alexei Ovchinin, and NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Christina Koch, will automatically approach the ISS and dock to it at 04:07 Moscow time (0107 GMT) Friday.