Live coverage: Japanese cargo craft departs International Space Station

A three-man crew led by six-time space flier Yuri Malenchenko rode a Soyuz rocket into orbit Tuesday, speeding away from a Kazakh launch pad on a six-hour chase of the International Space Station. Docking occurred at 1733 GMT (12:33 p.m. EST).

Watch NASA’s news conference to preview three spacewalks outside the International Space Station planned for late March and early April to prepare for the future arrival of U.S. commercial crew spacecraft and upgrade station hardware.

A two-stage Northrop Grumman Antares booster lifted off Nov. 2 from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Virginia’s Eastern Shore with a Cygnus cargo freighter on the way to the International Space Station.