A Russian Soyuz-2.1a rocket, named the "Victory Rocket" to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, successfully launched on April 8, 2025, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The rocket carried the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft with three crew members: Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky, and NASA astronaut Jonathan Kim. 

The launch occurred at 5:47 GMT and reached orbit approximately nine minutes later. The spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the Prichal module of the ISS at 9:04 GMT.

The crew will spend 245 days aboard the ISS, participating in scientific investigations and technology demonstrations aimed at advancing future space missions and benefiting life on Earth.

This mission marks the first spaceflight for Kim and Zubritsky, while Ryzhikov embarks on his third journey into space. Kim, a former Navy SEAL and medical doctor, is also the first Korean-American astronaut on the ISS.

The insignia for this mission honours significant milestones in space exploration: 60 years since the first spacewalk in March 1965 and 50 years since the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in July 1975. The launch attracted around 2,500 spectators at Baikonur despite strained U.S.-Russia relations.

Agencies