Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov (bottom) and Andrey Borisenko (top) and US astronaut Shane Kimbrough wave as they board the Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft at Baikonur cosmodrome on 19 October 2016. Photo: AFPBaikonur, Kazakhstan: Two Russian cosmonauts and a Nasa astronaut soared into orbit in a Soyuz spacecraft on Wednesday at the start of a two-day journey to the International Space Station. 24 hours and counting until Soyuz MC-02 Expedition 49/50 launch!” Kimbrough, a father-of-three who served as a helicopter pilot in the 1990-1991 Gulf War, wrote on Twitter on Tuesday. Wednesday’s launch is the second Soyuz space flight to be delayed this year after issues with software saw the launch of the newly upgraded Soyuz MS-01 postponed by two weeks over the summer. In addition to the 2014 Antares explosion, a Russian cargo spacecraft burned up before reaching the ISS in May last year.

Source: Mint October 19, 2016 14:37 UTC