Soyuz MS-18 reaches International Space Station after 2 orbits Derek Richardson April 9th, 2021 Soyuz MS-18 launches from Kazakhstan on a two-orbit trek to the International Space Station. Credit: NASA Two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut took the express lane to the International Space Station, reaching the outpost in their Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft less than four hours after launch. Aboard were cosmonauts Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei. Liftoff atop a Soyuz 2.1a rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan took place at 3:42 a.m. EDT (7:42 UTC) April 9, 2021. After just two orbits, or 3.5 hours, Soyuz MS-18 docked with the Rassvet module.