Expedition 41/42 launch and arrive at the International Space Station

(Photo Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky)

NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore and Russian cosmonauts Alexander Samokutyaev and Elena Serova have successfully joined their Expedition 41 crewmates after flawlessly launching, rendezvousing and docking to the International Space Station.

Image of the Day: 23/9/14

(Photo Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky)

The sun rises at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan as Expedition 41/42’s Soyuz TMA-14M spacecraft is rolled out by train to the launch pad ahead of lift-off on September 25th.

Image of the Day: 14/9/14

(Photo Credit: NASA/Victor Zelentsov)

Expedition 41 Flight Engineer Barry Wilmore of NASA (left), Soyuz Commander Alexander Samokutyaev of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos, center) and Flight Engineer Elena Serova of Roscosmos (right) are pictured walking off the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre plane after arriving at the Baikonur Cosmodrome for final prelaunch activities ahead of their launch to the International Space Station later this month.

Roscosmos prepare to launch first female cosmonaut in 17 years

(Wilmore, Samokutyaev and Serova – Photo Credit: NASA)

Later this year, Yelena Serova will fly to the International Space Station as part of Expedition 41/42, making her the first female cosmonaut in 17 years, as well as the fourth Russian woman to fly in space.