Roscosmos successfully launches movie crew of 'The Challenge' into orbit; docking awaited

The Russian space agency Roscosmos, on October 5, successfully sent three cosmonauts aboard a Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft. The rocket, carrying cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov, Russian actress Yulia Peresild and producer Klim Shipenko, lifted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 2.25 pm (IST). Undergoing a two-orbit, three-hour flight for the International Space Station (ISS), the spacecraft will reach its destination at around 5.42 pm (IST).

NASA will be broadcasting the docking of the Russian space module starting 5 pm (IST) on NASA TV, the NASA app and on its official website. As per NASA's official release, the Russian crew will join the Expedition 65 crew aboard the ISS that includes Commander Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency), NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, Japanese astronaut Aki Hoshide. 

Russia beats Hollywood to the ISS

With this historic launch, Russia has become the first country to launch people from the film fraternity into space, beating the US' Hollywood in doing so. Shipenko and Peresild will spend 12 days in space to shoot segments of their ambitious space movie titled "The Challenge", for which they have undergone rigorous training for almost a year. While talking to the Associated Press, Peresild said that learning about the design of the spacecraft and handling it was one of the toughest parts of their training. Besides, the Russian part of the ISS is more congested than the American segment, which might be a challenge for the crew, reported the news agency.

(Image: Twitter/@NASA)