A US and a Russian astronaut took off today from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on the first manned space flight since the Columbia shuttle disaster three months ago.
The Russian Soyuz TMA-2rocket, carrying Russian flight commander and a US flight engineer, lifted off at 0354 GMT and is due to dock with the International Space Station early on Monday.
All US space missions have been grounded since the Columbia shuttle disintegrated and burnt up on entry, killing all seven crew members, on February 1st, making Russia the only link with the 16-nation orbital station.
Since NASA grounded the remaining three space shuttles after the Columbia accident, Russia's Soyuzmanned craft and Progresscargo vessels have been the only means to transport crew and supplies up to the ISS.
Because of the problem of getting supplies to the space station, which were mainly delivered by shuttles, future missions will comprise two, instead of three, astronauts.
AFP