Doha: The Russian space agency Roscosmos announced the arrival of the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft, which lifted off Tuesday, en route to the International Space Station (ISS). The spacecraft is carrying Russian cosmonauts Sergei Ryzhikov and Alexei Zubritsky, and NASA astronaut Jonathan Kim.

According to Qatar News Agency, the agency said the new crew is the 73rd expedition to the ISS and is scheduled to conduct scientific research and two spacewalks before returning to Earth on Dec. 9. The three astronauts join the current ISS crew, known as Expedition 72, which includes astronauts from the US, Japan, and Russia.

Space cooperation is one of the latest areas of cooperation between Russia and the US, while Roscosmos plans to establish new partnerships with countries in Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.