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Russia's Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft carrying the International Space Station (ISS) crew of U.S. astronaut Terry Virts, Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov and European Space Agency's Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti blasts off from the launch pad at Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome late on November 23, 2014. KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images

Braving near-zero temperatures, a workhorse Soyuz rocket carrying a crew of three -- a veteran cosmonaut, a NASA shuttle pilot and an Italian fighter pilot making her first space flight -- vaulted into orbit Sunday, kicking off a six-hour rendezvous with the International Space Station.

Launching almost directly into the plane of the station's orbit, Soyuz TMA-15M commander Anton Shkaplerov, flanked on the left by European Space Agency flight engineer Samantha Cristoforetti and on the right by NASA astronaut Terry Virts, lifted off from complex 31 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 4:01:14 p.m. EST (GMT-5; 3:01 a.m. Monday local time).

Trailing a brilliant plume of fiery exhaust, the Soyuz booster quickly climbed away from launch complex 31, knifing through low clouds and disappearing from view as the crackling roar of its first-stage engines thundered across the sprawling space center.

Live television from inside the TMA-15M command module showed Shkaplerov, strapped into the center seat, calmly monitoring cockpit displays and providing status reports to flight controllers. All three crew members appeared relaxed in the cramped cockpit, tightly strapped into their custom-contour seats as the booster accelerated toward orbit.

"Everything's fine on board, everything's nominal," Shkaplerov radioed.

The space station passed 260 miles above Baikonur a few moments before liftoff and commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore reported he was able to see the Soyuz as it climbed out of the clouds more than 500 miles behind and below the lab complex.

The rocket's four oxygen-kerosene-powered strap on-boosters shut down and fell away about two minutes after liftoff, followed three minutes later by shutdown of the second stage core booster. The third stage engine then ignited, the second stage fell away and the Soyuz continued the climb to orbit.

Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, right, monitors cockpit displays during the climb to orbit aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Commander Anton Shkaplerov is strapped into the spacecrart's center seat, to Cristoforetti's right. NASA flight engineer Terry Virts is out of view to the commander's right.

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Soyuz rocket streaks into orbit with three bound for station

BAIKONUR , Kazakhstan, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- An international crew of astronauts, including one from NASA, will launch from Kazakhstan today for a rendezvous with the International Space Station.

The three-person team is expected to blast off at 4 p.m. eastern time. The launch will be streamed live online at NASA-TV and at Space.com

Terry Virts of NASA, Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency and Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency will launch aboard their Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

NASA will also air live coverage of the Soyuz as it docks to the space station at 9:53 p.m eastern time.

2014 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

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New International Space Station crew launches today

BAIKONUR , Kazakhstan, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- An international crew of astronauts, including one from NASA, will launch from Kazakhstan today for a rendezvous with the International Space Station.

The three-person team is expected to blast off at 4 p.m. eastern time. The launch will be streamed live online at NASA-TV and at Space.com

Terry Virts of NASA, Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency and Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency will launch aboard their Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

NASA will also air live coverage of the Soyuz as it docks to the space station at 9:53 p.m eastern time.

2014 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

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New Space Station Crew launches today

A Russian capsule carrying three astronauts from Russia, the United States and Italy has blasted off for the International Space Station. The Soyuz capsule roared into the darkness just after 3 a.m. local time Monday (4 p.m. ET Sunday) from Russia's Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Aboard the capsule are Russian Anton Shkaplerov, NASA's Terry Virts and Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti. The craft will dock with the space station about six hours after launch, where they will join three others already aboard. Those spacefliers include Elena Serova, the first Russian woman to live aboard the International Space Station.

Cristoforetti's arrival will mark the second time in the station's 16-year history that two women have been conducting long-term missions simultaneously. The first time came in 2010, when Tracy Caldwell Dyson and Shannon Walker were on the station for Expedition 24.

During a pre-launch news conference, Cristoforetti, a 37-year-old Italian Air Force pilot, deflected questions about her status as Italys first female astronaut. When asked by a reporter if she planned to wear cosmetics in space, Cristoforetti looked confused, then replied, Maybe you should ask Terry. Maybe he wants to take some makeup with him.

The new crew's six-month tour of duty is also expected to mark the first taste test of fresh-brewed espresso in space. The ISSpresso coffeemaker was designed to work in zero gravity by Italy's Lavazza coffee company and Argotec engineering firm. It's due to be sent up to the station next year on a cargo craft, and will be tested under the terms of a private-public partnership associated with Cristoforetti's mission.

First published November 23 2014, 1:43 PM

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Russian Craft Sends New Crew Members to Space Station

NASA astronaut Terry Virts, Roscosmos cosmonautAnton Shkaplerov and European Space Agency astronautSamantha Cristoforetti will launch to the International Space Station on Sunday. NASA will have a live stream of the launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan beginning at 3 p.m. EST, with the launch itself set for 4:01 p.m.

The three Expedition 42 crew members will join NASA astronaut Barry Wilmore and cosmonautsAlexander Samokutyaev andElena Serova, who are currently aboard the ISS. Wilmore will serve as the expedition commander. While the three astronauts on Earth prepare to launch toward the Soyuz spacecraft, the three astronauts already in space are conducting experiments involving the first 3D printer in space and plant growth in space.

For the3D Printing In Zero-G Technology Demonstration (3D Printing In Zero-G) experiment, ISS crew members are testing the feasibility of the technology in space. A 3D printer can be a versatile tool for crew members as it could manufacture spare parts and reduce the need for additional cargo to be sent during resupply missions. The Seedling-2 Growth experiment examines the growth and development of plants in microgravity. The ability to grow plants in space could be an important component of future manned missions.

The Expedition 42 launch will also include some interesting cargo. The first espresso machine built for space will keepCristoforetti, the first Italian female astronaut, and her crew mates well caffeinated. The ISSpresso machine was developed by Lavazza and Argotec: It can also make tea and broths.

Shkaplerovs daughter chose an Olaf the snowman doll, from the film Frozen, to serve as the zero-G talisman, Space.com reported. Traditionally, Soyuz commanders choose a doll or toy that will be used to determine when the astronauts are in space. When the astronauts reach orbit, Olaf will begin to float. My youngest daughter is eight years old, and she selected that as a talisman, Shkaplerov said during a press conference.

The astronauts will orbit Earth four times before docking with the space station at 9:53 p.m. EST, with NASAs coverage beginning at 9:15 p.m. The hatch between the Soyuz spacecraft and the ISS will open at 11:30 p.m.

Beginning at 3 p.m. EST, NASAs International Space Station live-stream coverage can be viewed below.

Broadcast live streaming video on Ustream

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International Space Station Live Stream: Expedition 42 Takes Flight With 'ISSpresso' And Olaf The Snowman