Russia Launches Two-man Crew to Mir Space Station

Soyuz rocket takes off for Mir

A Soyuz rocket carrying a two-man crew blasted off for the Mir space station on Tuesday in a launch that marks Russia's determination to prolong the life of the ageing lab.

A spokesman for mission control at the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan said the launch took place at 0501 GMT. The spacecraft carrying cosmonauts Sergei Zalyotin and Alexander Kaleri is due to dock with Mir in 48 hours.

"It was a perfect launch as the weather was clear," he told reporters.

The Soyuz PM-30 left the earth's atmosphere about 10 minutes after the takeoff, which was witnessed by a delegation from the Russian parliament and the governor of Russia's Sverdlovsk region, Eduard Rossel.

The mission is the first manned flight to Mir for a year after Russia put the station on auto-pilot prior to its planned scrapping. The first section of Mir was launched in 1986.

The programme got a new lease of life when foreign investors came forward in January to pledge $20 million in funds for Mir.

The crew will stay on board Mir for 45 days, a stint which could be prolonged until August if additional funds are found. The cosmonauts will spruce up the lab for possible future crews and seek to fix the source of a pressure leak in the cabin.