WASHINGTON: A Russian spacecraft carrying three astronauts, including a US grandfather poised to set a new record, has docked at the International Space Station, NASA reported.
The crew docked at 11:09 pm Friday (0309 GMT Saturday) some 253 miles above Earth over the Pacific Ocean, off the western coast of Peru.
The Soyuz rocket took off from Russia’s Baikonur space base in Kazakhstan earlier in the day at 2126 GMT, before orbiting the earth four times in an approximately six-hour journey, according to NASA.
The trio onboard comprise Russians Oleg Skriprochka and Alexey Ovchinin, and US grandfather of three, Jeff Williams, a veteran of long-duration space missions.
By the end of his half-year trip aboard the ISS, Williams “will become the American with the most cumulative days in space — 534,” NASA said.
The all-time record for cumulative days spent in space is held by Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, who racked up 879 days over his career and wrapped up his final mission in September 2015.
