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NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. O'Hara will spend six months at the station while Kononenko and Chub will spend a year there.
The trio was supposed to fly to the space station last spring, but their original capsule was needed as a replacement for another crew. That crew—also two Russians and an American—will ride it home later this month. Their stay was extended from six months to a year when their Soyuz capsule developed a coolant leak while parked at the station.
It's the first spaceflight for O'Hara and Chub, while mission commander Kononenko is on his fifth trip to the orbiting outpost.
The crew was due to arrive three hours later, joining seven station residents from U.S., Russia, Denmark and Japan.
By the end of his yearlong stay, Kononenko will set a new record for the longest time in space, more than a thousand days.
In this photo released by Roscosmos space corporation the Soyuz-2.1 rocket booster with Soyuz MS-24 space ship carrying a new crew to the International Space Station, ISS, blasts off in Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Friday, Sept. 15, 2023. The Russian rocket carries Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub and NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara. Credit: Roscosmos space corporation, via AP 
The Soyuz rocket is seen in this 90-second exposure as it launches with Expedition 70 NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub, Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Credit: Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP 
In this photo taken from video released by Roscosmos space corporation, the Soyuz-2.1 rocket booster with Soyuz MS-24 space ship carrying a new crew to the International Space Station, ISS, blasts off in Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Friday, Sept. 15, 2023. The Russian rocket carries Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub and NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara. Credit: Roscosmos space corporation, via AP 
In this photo taken from video released by Roscosmos space corporation, the Soyuz-2.1 rocket booster with Soyuz MS-24 space ship carrying a new crew to the International Space Station, ISS, blasts off in Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Friday, Sept. 15, 2023. The Russian rocket carries Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub and NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara. Credit: Roscosmos space corporation, via AP 
In this photo released by Roscosmos space corporation, from left, NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara, Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub, crew members of the new mission to the International Space Station, ISS, wave prior the launch of Soyuz MS-24 space ship in Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Friday, Sept. 15, 2023. Credit: Roscosmos space corporation, via AP 
The Soyuz rocket is launched with Expedition 70 NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub, Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Credit: Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP
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