NASA’s Jonny Kim Heads to Space With Russian Crew on Soyuz MS-27 701b66

On April 8, 2025, an American-Russian crew launched a combined spaceflight mission early Tuesday. The Soyuz MS-27 was launched from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome. ISS.

Soyuz MS-27 docks after brief orbital journey 3q4v3q

According to NASA's official launch briefing, the Soyuz MS-27 capsule is scheduled to finish a two-orbit approach before docking with the ISS's Prichal module at around 5:04 a.m. EDT. The crew will Commander Alexey Ovchinin's Expedition 72 after a successful docking and hatch opening. Currently, a combination of Japanese, American and Russian astronauts are stationed there.

Expanded crew to multiple mission objectives 4y728

As outlined by Roscosmos and NASA mission updates, the three new arrivals, namely, Ryzhikov, Zubritsky, and Kim, will various science experiments, maintenance tasks, and visiting vehicle operations. There are many spacewalks that are also planned. Kim had expressed his desire to participate in a spacewalk in an interview with NASA TV before launch. He described the physical and mental challenges as taxing.

Background of the crew and symbolic mission details 44573s

According to statements made to collect, Kim, aged 41, credited his diverse career path to opportunity and timing. He becomes the third U.S. Navy SEAL to enter orbit. Ryzhikov, a 50-year-old veteran cosmonaut, begins his third mission, while 32-year-old Zubritsky embarks on his first. The mission's call sign is “Favour,” and the crew's patch honours two key milestones in space history: the 60th anniversary of the first spacewalk and 50 years since the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project.