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Three astronauts head for International Space Station on Russian Soyuz rocket

Saturday, 19 March 2016 2:36 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 19 March 2016 2:34 PM ]

A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying Three astronauts is heading for the International Space Station. (AFP)

Three astronauts have headed for the International Space Station in the Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

Russian cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin boards the Soyuz spacecraft at the Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome. (AFP)

The rocket took off in windy conditions from Russia’s space base in Kazakhstan. It’s carrying 58-year-old US NASA astronaut, Jeff Williams, and two other Russian cosmonauts.

Russia's Soyuz spacecraft is carrying the International Space Station (ISS) crew to the station, on March 18, 2016. (AFP)

The crew will replace the group that ended a year-long flight earlier this month. They will spend about six months living and working aboard the research laboratory on board the station.

This mission is particularly important for Williams as it will allow him to become the new American record holder to spend the longest time in space. For now, Scott Kelly holds the record with a total of 520 days in space.

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