A NASA astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on November 27, 2025, marking a significant Thanksgiving Day journey. The Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 4:27 a.m. EST. This mission will see the crew, consisting of NASA astronaut Chris Williams and cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev, spend approximately eight months in orbit.
With commander Kud-Sverchkov leading the mission, the Soyuz 2.1a booster powered through its ascent, releasing the spacecraft nine minutes and 45 seconds later. Following the deployment of its solar wings, the crew began their approach to the ISS, aiming for a docking at the Rassvet module at 7:38 a.m. if all goes according to plan.
Williams, who transitioned from a background in astrophysics to medicine, is embarking on his first spaceflight alongside fellow first-time astronaut Mikaev. Kud-Sverchkov, in contrast, is a seasoned veteran, having spent 185 days aboard the ISS during a previous mission from 2020 to 2021. Reflecting on his crew, Williams expressed enthusiasm in a NASA interview, stating, “It’s a really great crew… Sergey and Sergey are both just absolutely wonderful people, really kind, super interested, super intellectually curious.”
The Soyuz MS-28 crew is set to replace the previous team aboard the ISS, which includes Soyuz MS-27 commander Sergey Ryzhikov, flight engineer Alexey Zubritsky, and NASA astronaut Jonny Kim. The outgoing crew, who launched on April 7, 2025, will return to Earth in early December after completing their own eight-month mission.
Upon arrival, Williams and his fellow astronauts will be greeted by NASA Crew 11 members, including commander Zena Cardman and Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui. The Crew 11 team, which launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in August, is preparing for their own return in February or March, following the arrival of Crew 12.
Williams’s journey to becoming an astronaut is marked by a series of impressive achievements. With a Ph.D. in astrophysics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), he initially served as a board-certified medical physicist at Harvard Medical School. His interest in medicine was sparked during his time as a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician. “I found that I really liked it,” he said, noting the satisfaction of having a direct positive impact on people’s lives.
After being selected for NASA’s astronaut corps in 2021, Williams quickly adjusted to the rigorous training required for a Russian spacecraft launch. He credited his wife, Aubrey, for maintaining balance in their family life throughout this demanding period.
Looking ahead, Williams expressed his eagerness to apply his training during the mission. “I think the biggest one, and the thing I’m most excited about, is to truly be able to put my training into practice and to do a really good job to push forward the science and research that we’re doing on the space station,” he explained. His commitment to contributing to scientific advancement exemplifies the spirit of exploration that drives space missions.
The upcoming months promise to be filled with groundbreaking research and collaboration aboard the ISS, as Williams and his crewmates embark on this extraordinary journey.
