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Gantry mechanisms on either side of the Soyuz TMA-08M spacecraft are raised into position to secure the rocket at the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)
Today sees the express delivery of the next ISS Crew to the Space Station. Launching onboard a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan the Rapid Rendezvous Flight Profile trialled on the Proton cargo missions will be employed.
The launch is timed for 20:43 GMT (4:43pm EDT) which is 2:43am on the 29th at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The rocket was rolled out to Launch Pad 1 / Launcher 5 on the 26th March where it has been undergoing final preparations for todays flight.
This calls for a very precise launch window with the launch pad and the space station carefully lined up. After launch the Soyuz will chase down the ISS and rendezvous with the space station after only four orbits. Launch to docking will take less than six hours rather than the normal 2 days.
There will be a live launch tracker on our partner www.AmericaSpace.com website covering the entire journey from the Baikonur launch pad to docking with the International Space Station.
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