MOSCOW — An exciting space mission unfolded as NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, along with two Russian crew members, successfully reached the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday, traveling aboard a Russian spacecraft.
The journey began with the launch of a Soyuz booster rocket, which took off on schedule from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, a launch facility leased by Russia. The Soyuz MS-27, carrying the team, completed its mission and docked with the ISS just over three hours later.
Kim, alongside Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky from Russia, is set to embark on an eight-month stay at this multinational space laboratory. During their time on the ISS, Kim will engage in a variety of scientific experiments and technological tasks aimed at advancing space travel preparations and yielding positive impacts back on Earth.
Jonny Kim hails from Los Angeles and holds the rank of lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy. His diverse expertise spans both aviation and medicine, being a dual-designated naval aviator and flight surgeon.
Upon arrival, Kim, Ryzhikov, and Zubritsky joined an international team already aboard the space station. This group includes NASA astronauts Don Pettit, Anne McClain, and Nichole Ayers, along with Takuya Onishi from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Russian cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner, and Kirill Peskov. Together, they continue to contribute to the dynamic research environment on the ISS, working on projects that may shape the future of human space exploration.