Astronauts leave virus-plagued planet for space station
By MARCIA DUNN and VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV
Associated Press
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - Three astronauts have arrived at the International Space Station, after departing the virus-plagued planet. The two Russians and one American reached the orbiting lab in their Soyuz capsule Thursday, six hours after blasting off from Kazakhstan. They joined two Americans and one Russian who will return to Earth in a week. The station’s newest crew members will remain on board until October. They'll keep the place running by themselves until SpaceX launches a pair of NASA astronauts from Florida, as early as next month. Thursday's launch had little of the usual fanfare, given the coronavirus pandemic. None of the astronauts' family members were there to bid them farewell.
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