Three tourists aboard Russia's spacecraft reach ISS

Russia's Soyuz MS-20 spacecraft with three tourists on board has successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS), Russia's state space corporation Roscosmos said in a statement Wednesday.

The three tourists are cosmonaut and TASS special reporter Alexander Misurkin, Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa and his associate Yozo Hirano.

The spacecraft was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 10:38 a.m. Moscow Time (0738 GMT) with the help of a Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket, Roscosmos said.

It docked with the Russian segment of the orbital station at 4:40 p.m. Moscow Time (1340 GMT). Following all necessary tests, the passengers would be able to enter the space station and join the rest of the crew at the ISS.

The three tourists will leave the ISS in 12 days and are scheduled to return on Dec. 20.