A Russian Soyuz capsule docked with the International Space Station today, doubling the lab's crew to six in a long-awaited milestone intended to boost productivity and science output.

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If you missed watching today's docking or Wednesday's launch, video coverage is archived for Spaceflight Now+Plus users to watch or download. See the full listing here.

A major milestone for the International Space Station project was achieved today when the first six-person crew was assembled aboard the outpost. The hatchway between the Soyuz spacecraft and the station was opened at 10:14 a.m. EDT to allow European astronaut Frank De Winne, Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko and Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk to float into the complex. There to greet the new crew was commander Gennady Padalka, astronaut Michael Barratt and Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata.

All partner agencies participanting in the international program have a member on the station for its first full-sized crew, including NASA, Russia, the European Space Agency, Japan and Canada.

Awaiting the completion of tests and hatch opening.

The hooks and latches are confirmed closed, forming a seal between Soyuz and its docking port. Pressure and leak checks will be performed over the next orbit before the hatchway is opened for the crew to enter into the station about an hour from now.

The docking occurred as the space station flew over the southern coast of China at an altitude of 217 miles, Mission Control says.

Over the next few minutes, the Soyuz docking probe will retract to allow hooks and latches to bring the spacecraft to a firm seal with the station. Hatches between the two vehicles will be opened around 9:45 a.m. EDT.

DOCKING. The Soyuz TMA-15 spacecraft has docked to the Zarya module of the space station, delivering European astronaut Frank De Winne, Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko and Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk to the double the size of the outpost's international crew.

The new Expedition 20 residents join Russian commander Gennady Padalka, NASA astronaut Michael Barratt and Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata who have been aboard the station since March.

Soyuz remains on course and lined up for docking.

Now inside 70 feet.

The headlight on Soyuz has been turned on for this night docking.

Soyuz is 100 feet away.

About 150 feet left to go.

The Soyuz and station are passing into an orbital sunset. The two spacecraft are about 260 feet away.

Final approach has commenced.

The Soyuz has completed a flyaround maneuver to align with the docking port. It's now in the stationkeeping hold about 500 feet away while controllers verify all is in readiness for final approach.

Soyuz now less than 600 feet from the station, is completing a roll maneuver as part of the sequence to prepare for docking.

The flyaround maneuver continues. Inside 800 feet now.

Less than 1,500 feet now separate the Soyuz and the station.

Soyuz is maneuvering itself around the international outpost to get into the approach corridor leading to the Zarya module docking port.

The Soyuz spacecraft is nearing the space station for docking about 30 minutes from now at 8:36 a.m. EDT. The capsule is about two-and-a-half miles from the station.

The Soyuz spacecraft carrying the second half of the space station's new double-sized international crew is scheduled for docking Friday.

The automated rendezvous sequence aboard the Russian-built crew transport capsule will begin about 6:13 a.m. EDT to control the morning's activities via autopilot. Soyuz commander Roman Romanenko will be standing by to take over manual flying of the spacecraft if required.

The day's first key engine firing is planned for 6:36 a.m. and another impulse is expected around 6:59 a.m. EDT, followed within minutes by activation of the Kurs rendezvous equipment on both the Soyuz and space station to guide the linkup.

The two spacecraft should be within 50 miles of each other by 7:25 a.m., closing to less than 10 miles by 7:45 a.m.

The television camera on the nose of Soyuz will be turned on at 7:53 a.m. to provide views of the docking.

A series of maneuvers between 8:01 and 8:09 a.m. will dramatically slow the Soyuz's closure rate, ultimately leading to the spacecraft beginning a flyaround of the space station to align with the Zarya module's Earth-facing docking port.

After a stationkeeping hold by the Soyuz to ensure all is in readiness for docking, the spacecraft will commence final approach at 8:27 a.m. for docking about 9 minutes later.

The linkup should occur at 8:36 a.m. EDT, a few minutes after orbital sunset.

Watch this page for live coverage starting at 8 a.m. EDT.

A Russian Soyuz rocket roared to life and streaked into orbit Wednesday, setting off after the International Space Station in a long-awaited mission to boost the lab's crew from three to six full-time residents.

Read our launch story.

Video coverage of the launch is archived for Spaceflight Now+Plus users to watch or download. See the full listing here.

Today's official liftoff time was 6:34:53 a.m. EDT.

European astronaut Frank De Winne, Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko and Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk have arrived in orbit following launch aboard the Soyuz TMA-15 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. A pair of maneuvers later today and another one Thursday will adjust the capsule's trajectory to set up for Friday's docking with the space station.

The men will join the three current residents aboard the station to double outpost's crew size, fulfilling a long-awaited milestone that promises to triple the amount of science that can be performed in the orbiting laboratory.

The craft will complete a programmed sequence to deploy the power-generating solar arrays, as well as antennas for navigational and communication systems.

T+plus 9 minutes. CAPSULE SEPARATION! The Soyuz spacecraft is flying free after the upper stage finished its engine firing and then separated away. The capsule is in pursuit of the International Space Station for a planned docking around 8:36 a.m. EDT on Friday.

T+plus 8 minutes. About a minute remains in the propulsion by the upper stage. The motor consumes kerosene and liquid oxygen just like the Soyuz rocket's other powerplants.

T+plus 7 minutes. The crew reports all remains normal aboard the spacecraft as the four-nozzle engine of the upper stage continues to burn.

T+plus 6 minutes. Upper stage is firing to propel the spacecraft into a stable orbit around Earth.

T+plus 5 minutes. The core stage of the Soyuz rocket has shut down and separated, leaving the upper stage to complete the job of injecting the Soyuz capsule into orbit.

T+plus 4 minutes. The crew reports it is feeling fine as the Soyuz rockets toward space. The core motor continues to fire on its propellant mixture of kerosene fuel and supercold liquid oxygen.

T+plus 3 minutes. The safety escape tower and launch shroud have been jettisoned from the atop the Soyuz capsule.

T+plus 2 minutes, 5 seconds. The four strap-on boosters clustered around the Soyuz rocket's main stage have burned out and separated. The core motor continues to fire.

T+plus 60 seconds. One minute into this ascent for the Soyuz rocket and its three-person crew from the Kazakh launch base. European astronaut Frank De Winne is strapped into the left-hand seat, Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko is in the center seat for his role as the Soyuz commander and Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk is in the right-hand seat.

T+plus 30 seconds. The Soyuz is heading on course for a rendezvous with the international space station 50 hours from now. The station currently is flying high above the South Pacific Ocean.

LIFTOFF! Liftoff of Soyuz and Expedition 20 to double the space station's crew size and triple the science potential of the international outpost.

T-minus 25 seconds. The first umbilical arm has separated from Soyuz. The second will retract in the next few seconds.

T-minus 1 minute and counting. The Soyuz has been placed on internal power. Standing by for liftoff a few seconds before 1035 GMT.

T-minus 2 minutes and counting. Rocket propellant tank pressurization is underway. The vehicle's onboard measurement system is activated. Oxidizer and fuel drain and safety valves of the launch vehicle have been closed.

T-minus 3 minutes and counting. The nitrogen purge of the combustion chambers of side and central engine pods of the rocket is being performed in preparation for ignition.

T-minus 4 minutes. The launch key has been inserted in the bunker for liftoff.

T-minus 5 minutes and counting. Systems of the Soyuz have switched to onboard control, the ground measurement system and the Soyuz commander's controls are being activated.

T-minus 6 minutes. The automatic program for final launch operations is being initiated.

T-minus 9 minutes and counting. It's time for the crew to close helmet visors.

T-minus 10 minutes. The crew inside the Soyuz capsule are starting recorders to collect data during launch.

T-minus 14 minutes and counting. The Soyuz telemetry systems are being activated. They will relay real-time data back to Earth during today's launch.

T-minus 17 minutes. At this point in the countdown, realignment of the Soyuz rocket's trajectory control system and checks of internal batteries should be complete. The Soyuz telemetry system will soon be activated and monitoring of Soyuz's thermal control system also will begin.

T-minus 20 minutes and counting. The three-stage Soyuz rocket will insert the 15,800-pound space capsule into a 143 by 118 mile orbit, inclined 51.6 degrees to the equator.

T-minus 25 minutes. The crew is completing leak checks of their Sokol launch spacesuits at this point in the countdown.

T-minus 30 minutes and counting. The emergency escape system is being armed. The system would be employed if a major malfunction occurs, propelling the Soyuz capsule off the top of the rocket to safety.

T-minus 40 minutes. Retraction of the two-piece service structure that has enclosed the Soyuz rocket during its stay at the launch pad is scheduled at this time. The towers will be rotating to a horizontal position. Several other umbilical arms connecting the rocket to the ground will be retracted at various times later in the countdown.

T-minus 50 minutes and counting. European astronaut Frank De Winne, Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko and Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk were awakened about eight hours ago to begin launch day activities. They signed the doors at crew quarters and received religious blessings before boarding a bus that took the three crewmates the 25-mile distance into the cosmodrome. They donned their white Sokol launch and entry suits, met with Russian space officials and then headed for the pad. Crowds of well-wishers gathered to wave goodbye as the crew reached the pad. An elevator took the trio up to the capsule-level of the tower to begin climbing aboard the cramped spacecraft.

T-minus 60 minutes and counting. In command of the Soyuz spacecraft is 37-year-old Roman Romanenko, a second generation cosmonaut and a lieutenant colonel in the Russian Air Force. Born in the Schelkovo, Moscow Region, Romanenko graduated from pilot school and flew L-39 and Tu-134 aircraft, logging more than 500 hours of flight time. He was selected as a test-cosmonaut candidate of the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center Cosmonaut Office in December 1997. This will be his first space mission.

European Space Agency astronaut Frank De Winne will serve as a flight engineer during Expedition 20 and become the station's commander during Expedition 21 later this year. Born in Ghent, Belgium, De Winne, 48, has a master's degree in telecommunications and civil engineering and graduated from the Empire Test Pilots School. He has logged more than 2,300 hours flying in several types of high-performance aircraft, including the Mirage, F-16, Jaguar and Tornado. As a member of Europe's astronaut group, De Winne visited the space station for a week in 2002 during a Soyuz rotation flight.

Robert Thirsk, a Canadian Space Agency astronaut born in New Westminster, British Columbia, holds a medical degree, a master's degree in mechanical engineering and a previous space shuttle mission to his credit. He flew as a payload specialist the Life and Microgravity Spacelab mission in 1996. The 55-year-old will be a flight engineer during Expedition 20.

T-minus 70 minutes and counting. The Soyuz rocket is fueled, the crew is aboard and the countdown is progressing toward liftoff of the space station's Expedition 20 mission at 6:34 a.m. EDT (1034 GMT) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

In a long-awaited milestone for the International Space Station, a Russian Soyuz rocket scheduled for launch early Wednesday will ferry three fresh crew members to the lab complex, boosting its crew size to six for the first time.

Read our preview story.

Liftoff from the historic Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan is scheduled for 6:34 a.m. EDT (1034 GMT), beginning a 9-minute ascent to orbit for the three-stage liquid-fueled booster.

It will take two days for the Soyuz TMA-15 capsule to the reach station, with docking to the Zarya control module expected Friday around 8:36 a.m. EDT (1236 GMT).

The linkup will deliver new Expedition 20 flight engineers Frank De Winne of the European Space Agency, Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko and Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk. The trio will join current station residents of commander Gennady Padalka, NASA astronaut Michael Barratt and Japanese crew member Koichi Wakata.

The Soyuz rocket was rolled from its hangar to the launch pad on Monday morning. Mounted horizontally on a railcar, the rocket journeyed along a winding route from the integration facility at Site 254.

After waiting about 8 hours to let 45-knot winds subside, hydraulic pistons lifted the rocket upright on the pad and gantry swing arms moved into position to enclose the vehicle. Technicians on four levels hooked up electrical and telemetry cables between the rocket and pad.

Here is an overview the key events in Wednesday's countdown, as provided by NASA:

• T- 6:00:00 Batteries are installed in the booster
  
  
• T- 5:30:00 State commission gives "go" to take launch vehicle
  
  
• T- 5:15:00 Crew arrives at site 254
  
  
• T- 5:00:00 Tanking begins
  
  
• T- 4:20:00 Spacesuit donning
  
  
• T- 4:00:00 Booster is loaded with liquid oxygen
  
  
• T- 3:40:00 Crew meets delegations
  
  
• T- 3:10:00 Reports to the State commission
  
  
• T- 3:05:00 Transfer to the launch pad
  
  
• T- 3:00:00 Vehicle first and second stage oxidizer fueling complete
  
  
• T- 2:35:00 Crew arrives at launch vehicle
  
  
• T- 2:30:00 Crew ingress through orbital module side hatch
  
  
• T- 2:00:00 Crew in re-entry vehicle
  
  
• T- 1:45:00 Re-entry vehicle hardware tested; suits are ventilated
  
  
• T- 1:30:00 Launch command monitoring and supply unit prepared;
  -- Orbital compartment hatch tested for sealing
  
  
• T- 1:00:00 Launch vehicle control system prepared for use; gyro instruments activated
  
  
• T- :45:00 Launch pad service structure halves are lowered
  
  
• T- :40:00 Re-entry vehicle hardware testing complete; leak checks performed on suits
  
  
• T- :30:00 Emergency escape system armed; launch command supply unit activated
  
  
• T- :25:00 Service towers withdrawn
  
  
• T- :15:00 Suit leak tests complete; crew engages personal escape hardware auto mode
  
  
• T- :10:00 Launch gyro instruments uncaged; crew activates on-board recorders
  
  
• T- 7:00 All prelaunch operations are complete
  
  
• T- 6:15 Key to launch command given at the launch site;
  -- Automatic program of final launch operations is activated
  
  
• T- 6:00 All launch complex and vehicle systems ready for launch
  
  
• T- 5:00 Onboard systems switched to onboard control;
  -- Ground measurement system activated by RUN 1 command;
  -- Commander's controls activated;
  -- Crew switches to suit air by closing helmets;
  -- Launch key inserted in launch bunker
  
  
• T- 3:15 Combustion chambers of side and central engine pods purged with nitrogen
  
  
• T- 2:30 Booster propellant tank pressurization starts;
  -- Onboard measurement system activated by RUN 2 command;
  -- Prelaunch pressurization of all tanks with nitrogen begins
  
  
• T- 2:15 Oxidizer and fuel drain and safety valves of launch vehicle are closed;
  -- Ground filling of oxidizer and nitrogen to the launch vehicle is terminated
  
  
• T- 1:00 Vehicle on internal power;
  -- Automatic sequencer on;
  -- First umbilical tower separates from booster
  
  
• T- :40 Ground power supply umbilical to third stage is disconnected
  
  
• T- :20 Launch command given at the launch position;
  -- Central and side pod engines are turned on
  
  
• T- :15 Second umbilical tower separates from booster
  
  
• T- :10 Engine turbopumps at flight speed
  
  
• T- :05 First stage engines at maximum thrust
  
  
• T- :00 Fueling tower separates;
  -- Lift off

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