A Russian Soyuz
rocket roared into orbit Wednesday carrying Malaysia's first spaceflyer and a
veteran astronaut team on a tricky mission to build up the International Space
Station (ISS).
Space
station commander Peggy Whitson -- the
first woman ever to lead an ISS mission -- launched
into space alongside veteran cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and Malaysian
astronaut Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor. Their Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft rocketed into
orbit at 9:22 a.m. EDT (1322 GMT), though it was just after sunset at their Baikonur
Cosmodrome launch site on the steppes of Kazakhstan.
Whitson,
with Malenchenko as flight engineer, plan to host up to three visiting shuttle
crews and a series of rotating crewmembers during
their six-month mission.
"I'm
really looking forward to it," Whitson told reporters in a prelaunch press
conference of her busy Expedition 16 mission. "'I'm confident in our
ability to accomplish all our tasks because I like a challenge."
A new
connecting module, the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory, the first
piece of Japan's three-segment Kibo laboratory and a robotic arm addition are slated
to arrive during Expedition 16. Europe's first unmanned cargo ship, dubbed Jules
Verne, is also due at the ISS during the mission.
"Historically
speaking, this has got to be one of the pinnacles of the program," NASA ISS
program manager Mike Suffredini said Tuesday from Baikonur on NASA TV. "I
was talking to Peggy earlier and she's chomping at the bit."
Whitson
and Malenchenko will replace the station's current Expedition 15 commander
Fyodor Yurchikhin and flight engineer Oleg Kotov during a nine-day crew swap
once they dock at the ISS on Friday. NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson, currently
aboard the space station, will stay on for the first stage of Expedition 16.
"We're
really looking forward to seeing them in just a few days," Whitson said.
Yurchikhin
and Kotov will return to Earth on Oct. 21 after completing a six-month
spaceflight. Shukor land with the Expedition 15 crew after his own 11-day spaceflight,
during which he plans to perform a series of experiments and observe the Earth.
Shukor said he was honored to be chosen from the initial 11,000 applicants to
serve as Malaysia's first astronaut, or "angkasawan."
"I am
ready to go to space," he said in a prelaunch briefing.
Shukor, a 35-year-old
orthopedic surgeon, is flying to the ISS as part of a deal between Malaysia and
Russia to purchase Russian-built military jets. In addition to his experiments,
Shukor is bringing traditional Malaysian items and food to the space station
and hopes to practice his Muslim faith while in orbit during the final days of
the holy month of Ramadan.
"Being
a Muslim and going into space is a big responsibility for me, not only for
Malaysian people but also to Muslims all over the world," he said. "I'm
not sure how, but I'm sure I'll find a way to pray and fast in space, and I'll come
back and share it."
Crew
swap ahead
Shukor and
the Expedition 16 crew are due to dock at the ISS Friday at 10:52 a.m. EDT
(1452 GMT), with Malenchenko serving as Soyuz commander during the two-day
spaceflight.
As the
three spaceflyers launched into orbit, seven other astronauts trained for their
own spaceflight. The seven-astronaut
crew of NASA's STS-120 mission rehearsed plans for an Oct. 23 launch aboard
Discovery at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The 14-day
mission, led by female shuttle commander and veteran astronaut Pamela Melroy,
will deliver the Harmony connecting node to the ISS and lay the foundation for
future international laboratories. The shuttle flight marks the first time two
spacecraft commanded by female astronauts will fly at the same time.
"We're
very excited about that," Melroy told reporters Tuesday. "In fact,
the only problem with Peggy's launch is that we're going to be strapping in so
we won't be able to watch it live."
But before Discovery's
astronauts can launch toward the ISS, the Expedition 16 crew must take control
of the orbital laboratory. The Expedition 15 astronauts have spent the last few
weeks preparing for their relief crew's arrival and watched a live video
broadcast of today's successful launch.
Anderson
gave two thumbs and a wide grin to video cameras aboard the ISS after the liftoff.
He will return to Earth later this month during the STS-120 mission, which will
bring the first of three new Expedition 16 crewmembers to the space station during
each of the upcoming shuttle flights.
During a
prelaunch news conference, Whitson received a commemorative whip "for the
men to remember that you're the boss," according to the gift's presenter. All
four of Expedition 16's rotating crewmembers -- Anderson, NASA astronaut Daniel
Tani, European Space Agency astronaut Leopold Eyharts and NASA spaceflyer
Garrett Reisman -- are men.
"I'm
hoping I won't be needing this, but just in case," joked Whitson.
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