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By NASA
The Roscosmos Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the International Space Station with (pictured left to right) NASA astronaut Jonny Kim and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky.Credit: Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center NASA astronaut Jonny Kim will launch aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft to the International Space Station, accompanied by cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky, where they will join the Expedition 72/73 crew in advancing scientific research.
Kim, Ryzhikov, and Zubritsky will lift off at 1:47 a.m. EDT Tuesday, April 8 (10:47 a.m. Baikonur time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Watch live launch and docking coverage on NASA+. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms.
After a two-orbit, three-hour trajectory to the station, the spacecraft will dock automatically to the station’s Prichal module at approximately 5:03 a.m. Shortly after, hatches will open between Soyuz and the space station.
Once aboard, the trio will join NASA astronauts Nichole Ayers, Anne McClain, and Don Pettit, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin, Kirill Peskov, and Ivan Vagner.
NASA’s coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):
Tuesday, April 8
12:45 a.m. – Launch coverage begins on NASA+.
1:47 a.m. – Launch
4:15 a.m. – Rendezvous and docking coverage begins on NASA+.
5:03 a.m. – Docking
7 a.m. – Hatch opening and welcome remarks coverage begins on NASA+.
7:20 a.m. – Hatch opening
The trio will spend approximately eight months aboard the orbital laboratory as Expedition 72 and 73 crew members before returning to Earth in December. This will be the first flight for Kim and Zubritsky, and the third for Ryzhikov.
For more than two decades, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs that are not possible on Earth. The station is a critical testbed for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight and to expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit. As commercial companies focus on providing human space transportation services and destinations as part of a robust low Earth orbit economy, NASA is focusing more resources on deep space missions to the Moon as part of the Artemis campaign in preparation for future human missions to Mars.
Learn more about International Space Station research and operations at:
https://www.nasa.gov/station
-end-
Joshua Finch / Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov
Sandra Jones
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Apr 02, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
International Space Station (ISS) Humans in Space ISS Research Johnson Space Center Space Operations Mission Directorate View the full article
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By NASA
3 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
This article is for students grades 5-8.
Alan Shepard was the first American in space. He was one of NASA’s first seven astronauts. Later, he walked on the moon during the Apollo program.
What Was Shepard’s Early Life Like?
Alan Shepard was born on Nov. 18, 1923. He was born in East Derry, N.H., and grew up there. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Naval Academy. He served on a Navy ship in the Pacific Ocean during World War II. After the war, Shepard entered flight training and earned his pilot’s wings. He graduated from Naval Test Pilot School and Naval War College. In April 1959, NASA selected Shepard as a member of its first group of seven astronauts.
What Happened on Alan Shepard’s First Spaceflight?
On May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American in space. He flew on a one-person Mercury spacecraft that he named Freedom 7. It launched on a Redstone rocket. On this flight, Shepard did not orbit Earth. He flew 116 miles high and then returned safely. The flight lasted about 15 ½ minutes. The mission was a success.
What Happened After Shepard’s First Spaceflight?
After his first flight, Shepard developed a medical problem. An inner ear problem stopped him from flying in space. NASA named Shepard as chief of the Astronaut Office. He helped select new astronauts, plan missions and make sure astronauts were ready to fly. Later, he had surgery to fix the ear problem, and he was able to fly again. Almost 10 years passed between his first and second flights.
What Happened on Alan Shepard’s Second Spaceflight?
Shepard’s second spaceflight was on the Apollo 14 mission to the moon. He was commander of a crew that included Stuart Roosa and Edgar Mitchell. The Apollo spacecraft was launched on a Saturn V (5) rocket.
On Feb. 15, 1971, Shepard and Mitchell landed on the moon. (Roosa stayed in orbit around the moon while the other two landed.) During two moonwalks, Shepard and Mitchell collected more than 100 pounds of moon rocks. They conducted scientific experiments on the lunar surface. Shepard also became the first person to hit a golf ball on the moon, showing how far it would go in the moon’s lower gravity.
What Happened After Shepard’s Second Spaceflight?
After his second flight, Shepard returned to his job as head of the Astronaut Office. He retired from NASA in 1974. Shepard worked in private business. He also did volunteer work to support education and to help people learn about spaceflight. Shepard died of leukemia in 1998.
More About Alan Shepard
Alan Shepard: First American in Space
Alan Shepard – Ambassador of Exploration
Freedom 7
Apollo 14
What Was Project Mercury?
What Was the Apollo Program?
What Was the Saturn V?
Read Who Was Alan Shepard? (Grades K-4)
Explore More for Students Grades 5-8 View the full article
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