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Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano, member of the main crew of the expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), gestures to his relatives from a bus prior the launch of Soyuz MS-13 space ship at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Saturday, July 20, 2019. (AP Photo/, Pool)

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Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano, member of the main crew of the expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), gestures to his relatives from a bus prior the launch of Soyuz MS-13 space ship at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Saturday, July 20, 2019. (AP Photo/, Pool)

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From left: U.S. astronaut Andrew Morgan, Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov and Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano, members of the main crew of the expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), walk prior the launch of Soyuz MS-13 space ship at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Saturday, July 20, 2019. (AP Photo/Yuri Kochetkov, Pool)

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U.S. astronaut Andrew Morgan, Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano, member of the main crew of the expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), wave to their relatives boarding to a bus prior the launch of Soyuz MS-13 space ship at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Saturday, July 20, 2019. (AP Photo/Yuri Kochetkov, Pool)

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Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano, member of the main crew of the expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), gestures, prior to the launch of Soyuz MS-13 space ship at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Saturday, July 20, 2019. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

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U.S. astronaut Andrew Morgan, member of the main crew of the expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), gestures to his relatives from a bus prior the launch of Soyuz MS-13 space ship at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Saturday, July 20, 2019. (AP Photo/, Pool)

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From left: U.S. astronaut Andrew Morgan, Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov and Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano, members of the main crew of the expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), report to head or Russian space agency Dmitry Rogozin prior the launch of Soyuz MS-13 space ship at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Saturday, July 20, 2019. (AP Photo/Kirill Kudryavtsev, Pool)

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U.S. astronaut Andrew Morgan, left, and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov speak prior to the launch of Soyuz-FG rocket at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Saturday, July 20, 2019. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

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Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano, member of the main crew of the expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), gestures prior to the launch of Soyuz MS-13 space ship at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Saturday, July 20, 2019. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

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Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano, member of the main crew of the expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), gestures prior the launch of Soyuz MS-13 space ship at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Saturday, July 20, 2019. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

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U.S. astronaut Andrew Morgan, speaks with his relatives through the safety glass prior the launch of Soyuz-FG rocket at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Saturday, July 20, 2019. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

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Russian Space Agency experts help U.S. astronaut Andrew Morgan, member of the main crew of the expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), to stand up after inspecting his space suit prior the launch of Soyuz MS-13 space ship at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Saturday, July 20, 2019. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky, Pool)

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U.S. astronaut Andrew Morgan, crew member of the mission to the International Space Station, ISS, waves as he boards prior to the launch of Soyuz-FG rocket at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Saturday, July 20, 2019. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky, Pool)

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Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano, member of the main crew of the expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), gestures prior to the launch of Soyuz MS-13 space ship at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Saturday, July 20, 2019. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

Russian, US astronauts blast off on moon landing anniversary

By Associated Press AP

PUBLISHED 7:06 PM ET Jul. 20, 2019

BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan (AP) — A Russian space capsule with three astronauts aboard has docked with the International Space Station after a fast-track trip to the orbiting laboratory.

The Soyuz capsule docked at 22:48 GMT Saturday, just six hours and 20 minutes after blasting off from Russia's launch complex in Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

The launch took place on the 50th anniversary of the day U.S. astronauts landed on the moon.

The capsule is carrying Andrew Morgan of the United States on his first spaceflight, Russian Alexander Skvortsov on his third mission to the space station and Italian Luca Parmitano.

They will join Russian Alexey Ovchinin and Americans Nick Hague and Christina Koch have been aboard since March.

The crew patch for the expedition echoes the one from Apollo 11's 1969 lunar mission.

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This story has been corrected to show the last name of the Russian cosmonaut in space since March is Ovchinin, not Ovechkin.

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