International Space Station (ISS) astronauts saw the departure of their new crew members yesterday.

Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitri Petelin, and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio were sent into orbit this morning from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan by a Russian Soyuz rocket. ISS astronauts flying around 250 miles (400 kilometres) above Earth caught sight of the cosmic activity, according to space.com

We had a spectacular view of the #Soyuz launch!
Sergey, Dmitry and Frank will come knocking on our door in just a couple of hours… looking forward to welcoming them to their new home! #MissionMinerva pic.twitter.com/b6PP8L6AEl

— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) September 21, 2022

“Our view of the #Soyuz launch was amazing! In just a few hours, Sergey, Dmitry, and Frank will knock on our door. eager to welcome them to their new residence!” Samantha Cristoforetti, an astronaut with the European Space Agency (ESA), said.

In just a few weeks, if everything goes as planned, the ISS will welcome a brand-new crew. Hines also shared some images from the Soyuz launch today on Twitter. “Ever wanted to see a rocket launch from the outside? It’s amazing!”

Ever wonder what a 🚀 launch looks like from space? It’s amazing!! @NASA_Astronauts and fellow 🐢, Frank Rubio launched on a Soyuz just a few hours ago…now he’s at the front door of @Space_Station awaiting hatch opening! Welcome aboard, Frank! pic.twitter.com/YcPpXsWsnk

— Bob “Farmer” Hines (@Astro_FarmerBob) September 21, 2022

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For many years, the Soviet Union and later Russia have launched cosmonauts into space using Soyuz spacecraft. Most recent Soyuz missions have been to the International Space Station. Two of Soyuz’s missions were disastrous. Vladimir Komarov, the expedition’s lone cosmonaut, was killed when the parachute failed during the first crewed Soyuz mission, Soyuz 1, in 1967.

Cover Image: : Samantha Cristoforetti/Twitter