NASA Astronaut Chris Williams, Crewmates Arrive at Space Station - NASA

Astronaut Chris Williams and his Crewmates Arrive at International Space Station

In a routine yet highly anticipated launch, NASA astronaut Chris Williams, along with Russian cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev, safely docked at the International Space Station on Thursday. The arrival marks an expansion of the orbiting laboratory's crew to 10 for the next two weeks, as the trio aboard Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft joined their colleagues from various countries.

The journey began early in the morning with a three-hour, two-orbit flight that culminated at 7:34 a.m. when the Soyuz spacecraft docked at the space station's Rassvet module. The crew will be warmly welcomed by Expedition 73 crew members Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman, Jonny Kim, and JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui upon hatch opening around 10:10 a.m.

Williams' two-week stint aboard the International Space Station will be filled with scientific research and technology demonstrations aimed at advancing human space exploration. He will conduct experiments that focus on advancing re-entry safety protocols for future missions, as well as participate in long-duration mission workouts and semiconductor crystal growth experiments.

Later this month, Expedition 74 is set to commence following the departure of Kim, Ryzhikov, and Zubritsky, who have spent eight months conducting science aboard the space station. Meanwhile, a change of command ceremony will take place on Sunday, Dec. 7, as station leadership transfers from Sergey Ryzhikov to Mike Fincke, live on NASA+.

NASA's live coverage of hatch opening is scheduled for this Saturday at 9:50 a.m. and can be watched through various platforms including NASA+, Amazon Prime, and YouTube.

OMG, I'm so hyped that Chris Williams and his crewmates finally made it to the ISS! Their mission is all about advancing human space exploration and conducting cool experiments like re-entry safety protocols . It's like they're in a futuristic version of Interstellar, but instead of searching for a new planet, they're pushing the boundaries of what we can do in space . And did you see that Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft? That thing is sleeker than Thanos' spaceship from Avengers: Infinity War ! I'm also loving the fact that there's going to be a change of command ceremony soon, like something out of House of Cards . Can't wait for Chris Williams' two-week adventure to start and see what kind of groundbreaking discoveries they make up in space

So the space station just got an awesome new crew ‍astro! Chris Williams and his friends are gonna do some super cool science experiments and tech demos to help us get better at space travel . I'm hyped for the hatch opening ceremony this Saturday - it's always a big deal when they welcome new people aboard . And can we talk about how awesome it is that there are 10 people living and working together in space right now? It just goes to show how far we've come with international cooperation and space exploration .

oh man I'm so hyped that Chris Williams and his crewmates are finally here they're gonna do some awesome science experiments up there... like re-entry safety protocols which is super important for future space missions... and I love that Kimiya Yui from JAXA is part of the welcome crew she's an amazing astronaut too!

I'm also curious about those semiconductor crystal growth experiments what are they trying to achieve? maybe one day we'll have super advanced tech thanks to these space missions

I'm stoked that Chris Williams and his crewmates finally made it to the ISS ! I mean, have you seen the pics of the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft? It's like a work of art up there . I've been following this launch for weeks, and it was such a nail-biter when they docked safely. Now that we've got a full crew on board (finally!), I'm hyped to see what kind of science experiments get conducted . The fact that Chris will be working on re-entry safety protocols is so cool – it's like we're one step closer to making space travel even safer . Can't wait for the hatch opening ceremony this weekend and the chance to watch it live on NASA+ !

I just love seeing our astronauts in action! I remember when my nephew was like 8 years old, he used to ask me about space all the time. Like how do people even get to space? What's it like up there? My answer always was, "who knows?" and now here we are with ppl literally living in space! Chris Williams is super cool btw I bet he's gonna do some awesome experiments

I'm so hyped for Chris Williams' arrival ! He's going to be living the dream up there with his crewmates, doing some pretty cool experiments that'll help us get even closer to landing humans on Mars . The tech demos are always mind-blowing, and I love how NASA's all about collaboration - it's like a space-age version of Brooklyn Nine-Nine . Can't wait to see the hatch opening live on Saturday – gotta have my coffee ready for that 9:50 a.m. launch !

I'm totally stoked that Chris Williams and his crew are finally up there , but at the same time, I'm like "wait, isn't he just taking our tax dollars to do some pretty cool science experiments? " And then again, isn't it awesome that we're making progress in space exploration and maybe one day we'll have a permanent human settlement on Mars? But hold up, aren't there already some huge tech companies working on that kinda thing? Like what's the point of NASA even doing its own research if others are gonna do it too? Ugh, I'm so confused...

Man, I'm so stoked they finally have a crew changeover up there! You know, back in my day we used to watch the Apollo missions on TV, and it was like watching a space opera or something. Now it's amazing how advanced it's all become. Chris Williams, Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, and Sergei Mikaev are gonna make some groundbreaking discoveries, I'm sure of it! And can you believe they're doing experiments on re-entry safety protocols? That's like, whoa, space science stuff ! I'll be tuning in to that hatch opening ceremony this Saturday for sure, maybe even with a bowl of popcorn ready to go

just thinking about chris williams up there he's gonna do some major experiments and stuff that could make space travel way safer for future missions I'm low-key excited to watch the hatch opening live on nasa+ this saturday at 9:50 am what are your thoughts?

Just got my space fix ! I'm loving how Chris Williams and his crewmates are expanding the ISS's crew to 10 people - it's like a big ol' space family . Can't wait for them to start conducting those experiments on re-entry safety protocols , it's super important for future missions. And hey, who wouldn't want to watch a change of command ceremony live on NASA+ ? The space station leadership transfer is about to go down - will be tuning in to see Mike Fincke take the reins ! #SpaceExploration #ISS #NASA #NewLeadership

OH MAN, I'M SO STOKED TO SEE CHRIS WILLIAMS AND HIS CREWMATES ARRIVE AT THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION!!! IT'S ALWAYS SUCH AN EXCITING MOMENT WHEN A NEW CREW JOINS THE ORBITING LABORATORY. I MEAN, THESE PEOPLE ARE TRULY OUT OF THIS WORLD (NO PUN INTENDED)! THEY'RE ABOUT TO SPEND TWO WEEKS ON STATION, CONDUCTING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATIONS THAT COULD ADVANCE HUMAN SPACE EXPLORATION FOR YEARS TO COME. I CAN ALREADY IMAGINE THE AWESOME EXPERIMENTS THEY'LL BE DOING!

OMG, like I know it's super cool that astronauts are exploring space, but come on, another Soyuz launch? Can't they just make the ISS more efficient or something instead of constantly sending new crew members? And what's up with all these experiments? Are we really learning something new from crystal growth experiments in space? I mean, I know it's all about advancing human space exploration and all that, but some things feel like, unnecessary.

I'm stoked they finally got some new blood aboard the ISS . It's crazy to think that it's been a while since we've had some fresh faces up there . Chris Williams and his crewmates are gonna be busy with all those experiments and demos . I mean, re-entry safety protocols and semiconductor crystal growth? That sounds like some next-level sciency stuff . Can't wait to see the hatch opening live on Saturday ! NASA's gonna have a big one with that coverage .

I dont get why space stations need so many ppl . cant they just do some experiments with like one or two guys? anyway, sounds like its gonna be an interesting two weeks for Chris Williams , but can someone tell me how does soyuz MS-28 spacecraft even work?! is it like a rocket on wheels or something?

just saw the latest update about chris williams and his crew landing at the space station i gotta say, its pretty cool to think that they're basically astronauts living in space for two weeks meanwhile back on earth, we should be learning more about renewable energy sources so our own planet can be a better place to live

Man... thinkin' about these astronauts, just chillin' up in space . It makes me wonder, what's the point of all this exploration? Are we really expandin' our horizons or just scratchin' the surface (literally)? I mean, we got humans livin' in space now, but are we prepared for the existential questions that come with it? Like, what's out there? What's next? These guys are just pioneeers, facin' the unknown. And we're still stuck on this rock, wonderin' what's beyond our atmosphere... it's like, isn't that what space exploration is all about?

Omg just heard the news about Chris Williams & his crewmates landing at the ISS! I'm literally so hyped their mission is gonna be so cool! advancing re-entry safety protocols for future space missions? semiconductor crystal growth experiments? can't wait to see what kinda awesome stuff they're gonna do up there . love how NASA's got people from all over the world working together on this one, it's like, global collaboration at its finest . 10 new crew members in total now? that's just amazing we might just have a better chance at becoming multi-planetary humans soon!

omg, can you believe we got astronauts visiting our space station again? it's always mind-blowing to see them conducting experiments and pushing boundaries for human space exploration... i feel so lucky living in this time where we get to witness all these amazing advancements anyway, two weeks is such a short time but i'm sure Chris Williams and his crewmates will make the most of their stay up there

just 8 months left till private space travel becomes a norm
also why does it take so long to transfer the comand... i mean, leadership
NASA+ live coverage is gonna be lit