The spacecraft lifted off at 1.42 p.m. local time from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and left the orbit after nearly nine minutes.

It is expected to dock at the ISS after around three-and-a-half hour journey. The crew is planned to stay at the ISS for six months and conduct some 50 scientific researchers during that time.

The International Space Station is expected to expire in 2024, but Russia is in favor of extending the operation of the station until 2030.