BAIKONUR, April 28 (AVN) - A Soyuz-U booster rocket lifted from the first launching pad of the Baikonur cosmodrome at 11.37 Moscow time (0737 GMT) on Saturday and put into orbit the Soyuz-TM32 transport spacecraft.
The spacecraft carriers three cosmonauts to the International Space Station (ISS). Commander Talgat Musabayev and Flight Engineer Yuri Baturin, both of Russia, and world's first space tourist Dennis Tito, of the United States, will stay in space until May 6.
There were no emergency situations during the launch, a spokesman for the Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) Staff told the Military News Agency. The launch was performed by specialists of the Russian Aviation and Space Agency and combat crews of the Baikonur cosmodrome.
The spacecraft was put in predestined orbit at 11.47 Moscow time (0747 GMT), the spokesman said. The orbit parameters are as follows: maximum distance from Earth 235.05km, minimal distance from Earth 192.77km, orbit inclination 51.6 degrees and period of revolution 88.49 minutes.
Soyuz-TM32 is to dock to the ISS on April 30.