MOSCOW (AP) - A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying three crew docked at the International Space Station on Friday after a safe but what is now unusual two-day flight.
The arrival of Russia's Sergei Volkov, Denmark's Andreas Mogensen and Kazakhstan's Aidyn Aimbetov brings the number of crew on the orbiting outpost to nine for the first time since November 2013.
Mogensen, the first Dane in space, and Aimbetov will return to Earth on Sept. 12 along with Russian Gennady Padalka, the current station commander. Command will then be passed to NASA's Scott Kelly, who along with Mikhail Kornienko of Russia is spending a full year on the station to study the effects of long space travel in preparation for a possible future trip to Mars.
Russian Mission Control said the Soyuz, which blasted off on Wednesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, docked on time at 10:42 a.m. Moscow time (0742GMT) on Friday.
For the past two years, the crews have taken a more direct, six-hour flight, but this time the Russian Federal Space Agency decided to revert to the traditional route, citing security concerns after the International Space Station had to adjust its orbit to dodge space junk.