NASA’s astronauts will launch aboard the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS)

NASA has announced that astronaut Jonny Kim, together with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky, will launch aboard the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) on April 8, 2025, at 1:47 a.m. EDT from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Following a rapid two-orbit, three-hour trip, their spacecraft will dock with the ISS’s Prichal module at around 5:03 a.m. EDT, where they will join the Expedition 72/73 crew, consisting of NASA astronauts Nichole Ayers, Anne McClain, and Don Pettit, JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin, Kirill Peskov, and Ivan Vagner.

This mission, which is the first spaceflight for Kim and Zubritsky and the third for Ryzhikov, will involve the trio spending approximately eight months conducting vital microgravity research to support NASA’s Artemis program and future Mars exploration.

NASA+ will provide live coverage of the launch, docking, and hatch opening, showcasing the enduring international partnership that has kept the ISS a cornerstone of space exploration and innovation for over 20 years.