Earlier today a Soyuz rocket launched the Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft on a mission to the International Space Station, carrying a fresh 3 person crew to the orbiting laboratory, bringing the ISS crew total back to 6, and the total number of people in space right now to 8: 6 on the ISS and 2 on Tiangong-2.
This was a daytime launch in Kazakhstan, meaning it happened very early in the morning here in the US. I didn’t get to see it live, but did see this wonderful video in my feed when I woke up: I of course thought it worth sharing for you here.
The Soyuz MS is the final generation of the Soyuz spacecraft, which has been flying since 1967. This was the 131st launch of the spacecraft. It’s crew will stay on the station until February 2017.
This video shows some more interesting views of the ignition and launch, and is of much higher quality than the usual livestream. Do enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke_E4QZoKCw
Bonus video, a proper livestream recording of the launch!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVDwg23JcFY