The Soyuz TMA-05M spacecraft carrying the International Space Station (ISS) crew of Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and U.S. astronaut Sunita Williams blasts off from its launch pad at the Baikonur cosmodrome July 15
Russian Soyuz rocket blasts off for space station
Russian Soyuz rocket blasts off for space station
Posted : Saturday, 14 July 2012 11:19PM

ALMATY (Reuters) - A Soyuz spaceship carrying Russian, Japanese and U.S. astronauts blasted off for the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday.

Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, veteran Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and NASA astronaut Sunita Williams launched aboard the Soyuz TMA-05M rocket from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 0240 GMT (2240 EDT on Saturday).

The trio are scheduled to berth early on Tuesday, joining NASA Flight Engineer Joseph Acaba and two Russian cosmonauts, Gennady Padalka and Sergei Revin, aboard the ISS, a $100 billion research complex orbiting about 240 miles above Earth.

(Reporting by Robin Paxton and Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Eric Walsh)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Check for restrictions at: http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp