Russian Spacecraft Carrying First Malaysian Astronaut in Orbit

BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan. Oct 10 (Interfax-AVN) – The Russian spacecraft Soyuz TMA-11 carrying Russian cosmonaut Yury Malenchenko, NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson and Malaysian space flight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor has reached orbit.

“The spacecraft is on a two-day flight to the International Space Station (ISS). After orbiting the Earth 34 times Soyuz TMA-11 will dock with the lower docking port of the Zarya module. The docking is expected to be automatic,” a spokesman for Energia rocket and space corporation told Interfax-AVN.

After the crew of Expedition 16 arrive at the ISS, commander of Expedition 15 Fyodor Yurchikhkin will hand over his powers to Whitson who will become the first female flight commander. One more crewmember of Expedition 15, NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson will work with the new crew for some three weeks and return to Earth with the U.S. space shuttle Discovery to be launched at the end of October.

The planned duration of the mission of Whitson and Malenchnko is 192 days.

After nine days on ISS Sheikh Muszapahr Shukor will return to Earth on the Soyuz TMA-10 spacecraft together with Yurchikhin and Oleg Kotov, the third crewmember of Expedition 15.

For details, see the Interfax – Military News Agency newswire.

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