07/07/2016
NASA astronaut Kate Rubins, KG5FYJ, astronaut Takuya Onishi, KF5LKS, of the
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin of
Roscosmos launched[1] early on July 7 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in
Kazakhstan and now are in Earth orbit. Their eventual destination is the
International Space Station (ISS).
An upgraded Soyuz MS-01 spacecraft on its maiden voyage carried Rubins, Onishi,
and Ivanishin into space. The crew will test modified systems for a couple of
days - 34 Earth orbits - before docking with the ISS Rassvet module on July 9.
According to NASA, the modified Soyuz is equipped with upgraded thrusters that
are fully redundant, additional micrometeoroid debris shielding, redundant
electrical motors for the Soyuz docking probe, and increased power with more
photovoltaic cells on the spacecraft's solar arrays. This week's launch marked
the first of at least two missions in which enhanced Soyuz hardware will be
tested and verified.
Expedition 48 Commander Jeff Williams, KD5TVQ, of NASA, and Flight Engineers
Oleg Skripochka, RN3FU, and Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos will greet their new
crewmates, once the hatches between the Soyuz and the ISS have been opened. The
Expedition 48 crew members will continue experiments in biology, biotechnology,
physical science, and Earth science.
Rubins, Onishi, and cosmonaut Ivanishin will replace Expedition 47 Commander
Tim Kopra, KE5UDN; Flight Engineer Tim Peake, KG5BVI/GB1SS, and Yuri
Malenchenko, RK3DUP, who returned to Earth in mid-June after a little more than
6 months in space.
The trio will spend approximately 4 months on station and will return to Earth
in October. Williams, Skripochka, and Ovchinin will return to Earth in
September.
[1] https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/new-crew-members-including-nasa-biologist
-launch-to-space-station
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