Soyuz TMA-17 lifts off 12.21.2009 for Space Station

William Atkins
Monday, 21 December 2009 18:28

Science - Space

The Soyuz TMA-17 spacecraft lifted off at 4:52 p.m. Eastern Standard Time from the Baikonur Cosmodrome with American, Russian, and Japanese astronauts onboard. They are headed to the International Space Station as new members of the ISS Expedition 22 crew.


U.S. (NASA) astronaut T.J. Creamer, Russian (Roscosmos) cosmonaut Okeg Kotov, and Japanese (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi launched on December 21, 2009, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

They are now well on their way to the International Space Station for their mission to complete further science and construction jobs.

The lift-off time was 4:52 p.m. EST on the Eastern Coast of the United States and 00:52 in Moscow, Russia, or with an equivalent time of 2152 Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

Thereafter, within nine minutes, the Soyuz spacecraft reached its intended non-circular altitude that varies between approximately 200 and 242 kilometers (125 and 151 miles) above the surface of Earth.

Watch a video of the Russian Soyuz TMA-17 launch at “Expedition 22 Crew Launches.”

The commander of the Soyuz craft, Okeg Kotov, reported back to Mission Control in Russia that, "Everything's fine onboard the vehicle. Everybody feels great, no problems, no issues." [Space.com (12-20-09): “New Crew Launches Toward International Space Station”]

Page two continues. Watch NASA TV or NASA Television for the docking of the craft to the Station.