Astronauts blast off to double space crew

Agence France-Presse

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Belgian Frank De Winne, Canadian Robert Thirsk and Russian Roman Romanenko lifted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket. Well-wishers including Prince Philippe of Belgium applauded as the rocket rose into the blue, cloud-flecked sky over the Central Asian steppe.

"We feel fine. All is in order," said Thirsk. When they dock after a two-day flight to the ISS, the trio will join the current three-person crew, who arrived in March and will remain on the station for several months. This will raise the permanent crew to six for the first time, allowing the astronauts to make full use of the capacities of the ISS, which orbits 350 kilometres above Earth.

The voyage also marks a rise in the frequency of manned flights aboard the Soyuz, a Soviet-designed rocket that originated in the late 1960s. Russia is stepping up the number of Soyuz launches from two in previous years to four this year. The increase in crew "is a very good example that shows the whole world that when countries want to work together for the good of their children we can do incredible things," said De Winne at a news conference in Baikonur ahead of his departure.

"It would be impossible for one country to maintain six people aboard the space station. But thanks to the cooperation, it will be possible."