Ever wonder what a rocket launch looks like from space? Astronaut Alexander Gerst has got you covered.
The European astronaut recently photographed the launch of three new crew members to the International Space Station from his spot in an orbiting laboratory. He shared the images this week on Twitter.
The new crew includes NASA astronaut Anne McClain, Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenkoof. The trio is expected to stay on the space station for six and a half months.
Congratulations to the Russian Space Agency @roscosmos and all international partners for a flawless launch of #SoyuzMS11. And welcome to space, @Astro_DavidS, @AstroAnnimal and Oleg! #Exp57 #Exp58 #Horizons pic.twitter.com/rzEjtm2PcO
— Alexander Gerst (@Astro_Alex) December 3, 2018
The images show the Soyuz rocket that was launched on Monday from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It’s the first crew that’s been sent to the International Space Station since a failed launch in October forced two astronauts to return to earth for an emergency landing.
Gerst won’t get to spend much time with ISS’s new astronauts. He’s expected to return to Earth on December 19th.