Russia launches Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft with 3 cosmonauts into orbit

A Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Thursday, sending the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft with two Russian cosmonauts and one U.S. astronaut into near-Earth orbit.

The crew's ISS mission is scheduled to last 242 days. During this period, more than 40 experiments will be conducted under the Russian program, with two spacewalks planned for April and June 2026. Direct descendants of the fruit flies that flew aboard the Bion-M No.2 biosatellite will also be sent to space as part of the mission.