The Russian Soyuz crew ferry ship successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) two days after launch, bringing two short-duration crew members and a NASA astronaut for a six-month stay.

The spacecraft, piloted by Oleg Novitskiy, Marina Vasilevskaya from Belarus, and NASA’s Tracy Dyson, docked at the Earth-facing Prichal module.

Upon arrival, they were greeted by ISS commander Oleg Kononenko, cosmonauts Nikolai Chub and Alexander Grebenkin, and NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara, Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps.

Vasilevskaya’s historic journey to space was celebrated by Russian mission control, and Dyson was welcomed back by NASA’s mission control team.

Dyson will replace O’Hara, who will return to Earth in April with Novitskiy and Vasilevskaya. Dyson will return next September with Kononenko and Chub.

The Soyuz swap is necessary due to the Russian crew ships’ six-month duration limit, CBS News reported.

Meanwhile, preparations are underway for Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft’s piloted flight in May, offering NASA redundancy alongside SpaceX’s Crew Dragon for transporting astronauts to and from the ISS.

This redundancy ensures a continuous U.S. presence on the space station, enhancing safety and reliability for crew transportation.

Written by B.C. Begley