The Dark Forests Forum

Liftoffs towards space.

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Launch of Expedition 33 on Soyuz TMA-06M

A trio of space explorers launched at October 23rd 2012, at 10:51 UTC onboard their Russian Soyuz TMA-06M Spacecraft from Baikonur in Kazakhstan. NASA Flight Engineer Kevin Ford, Soyuz Commander Oleg Novitskiy and Flight Engineer Evgeny Tarelkin are on the way to the International Space Station and will arrive on October 25th 2012.

Launch took place via a Soyuz-FG booster from Launch Pad 31, which hasn't seen a human spaceflight launch for 28 years.

Japanese Cargo Ship Launches to ISS

The Japanese HTV-3 Resupply Craft is on its way to the International Space Station following its launch Friday, July 20, 2012, from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan.

STS-129 HD Launch - Atlantis

Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member crew began an 11-day delivery flight to the International Space Station on Monday with a 2:28 p.m. EST launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The shuttle will transport spare hardware to the outpost and return a station crew member who spent more than two months in space.

Atlantis is carrying about 30,000 pounds of replacement parts for systems that provide power to the station, keep it from overheating, and maintain a proper orientation in space. The large equipment can best be transported using the shuttle's unique capabilities.