Engineers readied a Russian Soyuz rocket for launch Wednesday to ferry a veteran cosmonaut and two NASA shuttle fliers to the International Space Station for a five-month stay.

Live coverage from NASA Television for the launch of a Russian Progress cargo ship to the International Space Station. Liftoff from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan is scheduled for 0709 GMT (3:09 a.m. EDT).

Less than a week after winding up a successful spacewalk, outgoing space station commander Jeff Williams, America’s most experienced astronaut, joined two Russian cosmonauts for a fiery return to Earth Tuesday, closing out a 172-day mission with an on-target landing in Kazakhstan.