The launch of a Russian Soyuz rocket carrying three astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) was successful on Saturday, following an aborted launch on Thursday due to a voltage drop in a power source. The astronauts, including NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson, Russian Oleg Novitsky, and Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus, launched smoothly from the Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan. The spacecraft separated and went into orbit eight minutes after launch, beginning a two-day journey to the space station. They are joining the current crew of astronauts on the ISS and are expected to return to Earth on April 6. The ISS, a symbol of international cooperation, continues to operate amid tensions between Russia and the West. Russia’s space programme has faced mishaps in the past, including a 2018 launch failure. If the launch had gone as planned on Thursday, the journey would have been shorter, but docking is now expected on Monday.