Soyouz MS-27 Successfully Launches with Multinational Crew to ISS

The spacecraft, carrying two Russian cosmonauts and one American astronaut, enters orbit and prepares to dock with the ISS for a months-long mission of scientific research.

The Soyouz MS-27 spacecraft launched from Baïkonour Cosmodrome on April 8, 2025, at 05:47 GMT, carrying a crew of two Russian cosmonauts and one American astronaut.
The mission commemorates the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, with the spacecraft repainted in tribute.
The crew, consisting of Sergueï Ryjikov, Alexeï Zoubritskiy, and Jonny Kim, will conduct fifty scientific experiments aboard the ISS until their return on December 9, 2025.
The launch was witnessed by a record number of 2,500 spectators, highlighting public interest in space exploration.
Despite geopolitical tensions and sanctions, space remains a key area of cooperation between Russia and the United States, with Soyouz spacecraft continuing to play a vital role in ISS crew rotations.