Early yesterday morning, the International Space Station’s Expedition 54-55 Crew launched aboard a Soyuz MS-07 spacecraft. NASA’s Scott Tingle, Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, and Norishige Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will, once aboard the station, complete Expedition 54’s six-man crew complement.
The Soyuz rocket blasted off today at 2:21am ET carrying three Expedition 54 crew members on a two-day trip to their new home in space. https://t.co/QT0NzwY1fq pic.twitter.com/GLBVbC2q0X
— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) December 17, 2017
The three-man Expedition 54-55 crew is currently coasting towards the International Space Station (ISS). At 08:43 GMT (03:43 EST) on Tuesday, December 19, the Soyuz spacecraft will dock with the Rassvet module of the ISS. The hatches of the spacecraft and station will then be opened at 10:00 GMT (05:00 EST). Live coverage of each phase will be broadcast on NASA TV here.
The three-man Expedition 53-54 crew will remain aboard the station until their departure in February 2018. Soon after, Expedition 55-56 crew will again complete the station’s six-man complement. Tingle, Shkaplerov and Kanai will remain aboard the ISS until their departure in April 2018.
The historic International Space Station remains the only manned habit outside the Earth’s atmosphere. The crew of Expedition 54-55 will continue the more than 17-year long continuous human presence aboard the station.
Image Credit: NASA
