A Russian Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft successfully launches two Russian cosmonauts and one NASA astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday. The rocket lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, carrying Russian commander Sergei Kud-Sverchkov on his second flight, alongside first-time fliers cosmonaut Sergei Mikayev and NASA astronaut Christopher Williams. After a smooth journey, the spacecraft docked with the ISS later that day, and the crew will remain aboard for approximately eight months. However, the successful launch was marred by subsequent news that the blast damaged Launch Pad 31. As this is Russia’s only facility for manned missions, the incident could temporarily ground its human spaceflight program.Xinhua | 