A Russian Soyuz spacecraft with three new crewmembers, launched from the Baikonur Space Center to the International Space Station (ISS), reached intermediate orbit.

      According to Russia’s Federal Space Agency Roscosmos, Russia's Soyuz-FG rocket with Soyuz TMA-05M spacecraft blasted off at 6.40 a.m. Moscow time (02:40 GMT) on Sunday. The spacecraft separated successfully from the carrier rocket.

      The 33rd expedition to the International Space Station comprises Russian cosmonaut Yury Malenchenko, NASA astronaut Sunita Williams and Japan’s Space Agency (JASA) astronaut Akihito Hoshide. The cosmonauts will join the current ISS residents - Russian cosmonauts Gennady Padalka and Sergei Revin and NASA astronaut Joe Acaba, who have been in orbit since mid-May.

      The docking is expected to be held at 08.52 Moscow time (04:52 GMT) on Tuesday, July 17.

      The crew members have to to conduct over 40 scientific searchings and experiments during their stay on board the ISS. Russian Soyuz-family spacecraft remain the only means of transportation for crew members to and from the orbital station until at least 2015. 

Sources: RIA Novosti Lenta.ru Image: tsenki.ru