A Russian Soyuz TMA-18M Spacecraft launched today on a Soyuz-FG rocket from Baikonur in Kazakhstan at 04:37 UTC, September 2nd 2015. The spacecraft carried Russian Soyuz commander Sergey Volkov and two short term visitors to the Space Station, ESA Astronaut Andreas Mogensen and Kazakh cosmonaut Aidyn Aimbetov.

Sergey will remain onboard the International Space Station when the Soyuz docks later on September 4th until his return home on the same Soyuz TMA-18M with Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Korniyenko and NASA astronaut Scott Kelly who are conducting the first 1 year stay in orbit. This unique flight provided the opportunity for two visitors to have a short stay onboard the complex from docking to departure of Soyuz TMA-16M on September 11th.