NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, alongside Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky, has arrived at the International Space Station, increasing the current residency to ten for the next two weeks. The Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft, carrying the trio, successfully docked with the Prichal module at 4:57 a.m. EDT after a brief three-hour, two-orbit journey. The launch occurred at 1:47 a.m. (10:47 a.m. Baikonur time) from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Once the hatches open at around 7:20 a.m., Kim, Ryzhikov, and Zubritsky will join the existing Expedition 72 crew. This includes NASA astronauts Nichole Ayers, Anne McClain, and Don Pettit, JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Kirill Peskov, Ivan Vagner, and Alexey Ovchinin. NASA will provide live coverage of the hatch opening starting at 7 a.m. on NASA+, offering viewers various ways to access their content.
Expedition 73 is set to commence on Saturday, April 19, following the departure of Pettit, Ovchinin, and Vagner, who are concluding their seven-month science mission aboard the space station. The ceremonial change of command, where Ovchinin will pass the leadership role to Onishi, will be broadcast live on NASA+ at 2:40 p.m. on Friday, April 18.
During his eight-month mission on the orbital outpost, Kim will engage in a wide range of scientific research, including technology development, Earth science, biology, and human research. This marks the first spaceflight for both Kim and Zubritsky, while Ryzhikov embarks on his third mission.
For further details on space station activities, visit NASA’s official website.
