Soyuz TMA-18M with ISS mission crew onboard separated from third stage of carrier rocket
10:49, 2 September 2015
BAIKONUR. KAZINFORM 10 minutes after the launch Soyuz TMA-18M entered the near-earth orbit, having separated from the carrier-rocket, Roscosmos press service informed via Twitter. "The space vehicle will dock to the ISS September 4 at 10:42 Moscow time," the message reads.
The regular ISS mission consists of Russian cosmonaut-mission commander Sergey Volkov, Danish astronaut-onboard engineer Andreas Mogensen and Kazakh cosmonaut Aidyn Aimbetov. The launch passed normally, on schedule. The cosmonauts feel good, the Center for Flights Management says. Hundreds of people watched the launch of the spacecraft, including Vice PM Berdybek Saparbayev, heads of Roscosmos and Kazcosmos, European Space Agency and family members of the cosmonauts.