NASA’s Jonny Kim and 2 cosmonauts arrive at ISS aboard Russian Soyuz spacecraft

JNS: NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, along with cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky, has successfully arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) aboard the Russian Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft.

The trio docked with the orbiting laboratory on Tuesday, April 8, at 4:57 a.m. EDT (0857 GMT), after launching from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan just hours earlier at 1:47 a.m. EDT (0557 GMT; 10:47 a.m. local time in Kazakhstan).

https://cdn.jwplayer.com/previews/lDAsqiZk

The spacecraft’s hatches are set to open around 7:20 a.m. EDT (1120 GMT), marking the official start of their mission aboard the ISS.

This marks Kim’s first spaceflight as the first Korean-American astronaut to reach the ISS, alongside Zubritsky, also making his debut in space. Ryzhikov, on the other hand, is on his third mission, having previously spent nearly a year in space during two separate stays aboard the station.

The crew will now embark on an eight-month mission as part of ISS Expedition 72 and 73, with plans to return to Earth in December 2025.