Space, Soyuz in orbit with new crew

MOSCOW – A Russian Soyuz spacecraft was successfully launched today from the Baikonur cosmodrome and entered into orbit as expected with the new crew for the International Space Station (ISS).

The spacecraft, according to reports from the Russian flight control center, was launched at 07.19 in Moscow this morning and will arrive on Wednesday with the Russian Ghennady Padelka and the American Michael Fink on board, who will remain on the ISS. With them there is also the Dutch Andre Kuipers of the European Space Agency who will remain only 11 days and will return to Earth together with the two cosmonauts that are now on the Station, the Russian Aleksandr Kaleri and the American Michael Foale.

April 19, 2004