International Space Station Mission: NASA Astronaut and Russian Cosmonauts Launch

A NASA astronaut, Loral O'Hara, along with two Russian cosmonauts, Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub, launched aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the International Space Station (ISS). This marks the first time Russia has launched astronauts to the ISS in nearly a year. The crew will take over operations from the current trio of crew members who have been on the space station for almost a year. The launch comes after a coolant leak in the previous Soyuz spacecraft, MS-22, caused by space debris, left the crew stranded on the ISS. NASA's partnership with Roscosmos is crucial for the space station's operations and scientific research.