ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, commander Sergei Volkov and Aidyn Aimbetov were launched into space on 2 September at 04:38 GMT (06:38 CEST) from Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.

The launch marks the start of ESA’s 10-day ‘iriss’ mission that will focus on testing new technologies and ways of running complex space missions.

The astronaut’s Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft was pushed into Earth orbit as planned accelerating 50 km/h on every second for the first nine minutes of their launch.

Their docking is planned on 4 September at 07:42 GMT (09:42 CEST) but they will not enter their new home in space until the astronauts on both sides of the spacecraft hatch to ensure that there are no leaks.

Follow the whole mission with live updates via the iriss mission blog and Twitter via @esaoperations

Connect with Andreas at: andreasmogensen.esa.int/

Credit: ESA-S. Corvaja

Official portrait of the Soyuz TMA-18M crew from the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre. Left to right: Aidyn Aimbetov (KazCosmos), Sergei Volkov (Roscosmos) and Andreas Mogensen (ESA).

Read more about Andreas's crewmates on ESA's iriss website: www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_Spaceflight/iriss/Andrea...

Credit: GCTC

The Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft is seen as it lands with Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly of NASA and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Sergey Volkov of Roscosmos near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 (Kazakh time). Kelly and Kornienko completed an International Space Station record year-long mission to collect valuable data on the effect of long duration weightlessness on the human body that will be used to formulate a human mission to Mars. Volkov returned after spending six months on the station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Image of the approaching Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft taken by NASA astronaut Scott Kelly from on board the International Space Station.

On board the Soyuz were ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Russian cosmonaut Sergei Volkov and Kazakh cosmonaut Aidyn Aimbetov.

Follow Andreas Mogensen's mission with live updates via the iriss mission blog and Twitter via @esaoperations

Connect with Andreas at: andreasmogensen.esa.int/

Credit: ESA/NASA

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The Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft is seen as it lands with Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly of NASA and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Sergey Volkov of Roscosmos near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 (Kazakh time). Kelly and Kornienko completed an International Space Station record year-long mission to collect valuable data on the effect of long duration weightlessness on the human body that will be used to formulate a human mission to Mars. Volkov returned after spending six months on the station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

The last time ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen saw a Soyuz, he and his fellow crewmembers were making their fiery reentry to Earth in the reliable spacecraft, landing in the Kazakh steppe in the early hours of the morning on 12 September 2015.

Today, nearly three years later Andreas reunites with the Soyuz TMA-18M capsule that launched him to space at the Danish Museum of Science and Technology in Copenhagen.

Andreas became Denmark’s first astronaut when he embarked on the intense 10-day ‘iriss’ mission to the International Space Station in 2015.

The Danish Museum of Science and Technology has acquired the Soyuz capsule and is unveiling it as part of the

new exhibition ‘To Space and Back’ opening today.

Andreas spent 10 busy days in space testing new technologies and conducting scientific experiments for ESA. It was during ‘iriss’ that Andreas tested the time-saving hardware called mobiPV or Mobile Procedure Viewer.

One of the highlights during Andreas’ mission were the images of thunderstorms from space. He managed to record many kilometre-wide blue flashes around 18 km altitude, including a pulsating blue jet reaching 40 km. A video recorded by Andreas as he flew over the Bay of Bengal at 28 800 km/h on the Station shows the electrical phenomena clearly – a first of its kind.

The photographs and video were evidence of the scientific importance of studying hard-to-observe thunderstorms and other electrical activity in the upper atmosphere from space. It also confirmed the Space Station as a great vantage point 400 km above the clouds.

Now, the Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor or ASIM is picking up where Andreas left off. Launched in April this year, ASIM is a collection of optical cameras, light meters and an X- and gamma-ray detector that will measure and document electrical activity in the upper atmosphere.

Science and technology aside, you never forget your ride in a Soyuz, and Andreas is happy to be reunited with it. “It is the first time after my return from the International Space Station that I am able to see the capsule again, something that I have been looking forward to,” said Andreas.

The capsule was unveiled in a ceremony including Danish Prince Joakim and other dignitaries and is on display for all visitors. “A museum like this is what inspires our children and younger generations to pursue a career in science and technology,” Andreas said.

That’s worth the fiery ride alone.

Andreas will be back in Denmark for the opening of the Moon exhibition at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in September.

Credits: ESA

The Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft landing site is seen through the window of an arriving Russian MI-8 helicopter after Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly of NASA and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Sergey Volkov of Roscosmos landed in their capsule near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 (Kazakh time). Kelly and Kornienko completed an International Space Station record year-long mission to collect valuable data on the effect of long duration weightlessness on the human body that will be used to formulate a human mission to Mars. Volkov returned after spending six months on the station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko of Roscosmos rests in a chair outside of the Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft just minutes after he and Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly of NASA and Russian cosmonaut Sergey Volkov landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 (Kazakh time). Kelly and Kornienko completed an International Space Station record year-long mission to collect valuable data on the effect of long duration weightlessness on the human body that will be used to formulate a human mission to Mars. Volkov returned after spending six months on the station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly of NASA rests in a chair outside of the Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft just minutes after he and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Sergey Volkov of Roscosmos landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 (Kazakh time). Kelly and Kornienko completed an International Space Station record year-long mission to collect valuable data on the effect of long duration weightlessness on the human body that will be used to formulate a human mission to Mars. Volkov returned after spending six months on the station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

The Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft is seen as it lands with Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly of NASA and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Sergey Volkov of Roscosmos near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 (Kazakh time). Kelly and Kornienko completed an International Space Station record year-long mission to collect valuable data on the effect of long duration weightlessness on the human body that will be used to formulate a human mission to Mars. Volkov returned after spending six months on the station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

The Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft is seen as it lands with Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly of NASA and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Sergey Volkov of Roscosmos near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 (Kazakh time). Kelly and Kornienko completed an International Space Station record year-long mission to collect valuable data on the effect of long duration weightlessness on the human body that will be used to formulate a human mission to Mars. Volkov returned after spending six months on the station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

The Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft is seen as it lands with Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly of NASA and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Sergey Volkov of Roscosmos near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 (Kazakh time). Kelly and Kornienko completed an International Space Station record year-long mission to collect valuable data on the effect of long duration weightlessness on the human body that will be used to formulate a human mission to Mars. Volkov returned after spending six months on the station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Russian Search and Rescue teams arrive at the Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft after it landed with Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly of NASA and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Sergey Volkov of Roscosmos near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 (Kazakh time). Kelly and Kornienko completed an International Space Station record year-long mission to collect valuable data on the effect of long duration weightlessness on the human body that will be used to formulate a human mission to Mars. Volkov returned after spending six months on the station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko, left, Sergey Volkov of Roscosmos, center, and Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly of NASA, rest in chairs outside of the Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft just minutes after they landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 (Kazakh time). Kelly and Kornienko completed an International Space Station record year-long mission to collect valuable data on the effect of long duration weightlessness on the human body that will be used to formulate a human mission to Mars. Volkov returned after spending six months on the station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Russian cosmonaut Sergey Volkov of Roscosmos is carried into a medical tent after he and Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly of NASA and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 (Kazakh time). Kelly and Kornienko completed an International Space Station record year-long mission to collect valuable data on the effect of long duration weightlessness on the human body that will be used to formulate a human mission to Mars. Volkov returned after spending six months on the station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly of NASA rest in a chair outside of the Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft just minutes after he and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Sergey Volkov of Roscosmos landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 (Kazakh time). Kelly and Kornienko completed an International Space Station record year-long mission to collect valuable data on the effect of long duration weightlessness on the human body that will be used to formulate a human mission to Mars. Volkov returned after spending six months on the station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko of Roscosmos is carried into a medical tent after he and Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly of NASA and Russian cosmonaut Sergey Volkov landed in their Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 (Kazakh time). Kelly and Kornienko completed an International Space Station record year-long mission to collect valuable data on the effect of long duration weightlessness on the human body that will be used to formulate a human mission to Mars. Volkov returned after spending six months on the station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

The Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft is seen descending into the fog as it lands with Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly of NASA and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Sergey Volkov of Roscosmos near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 (Kazakh time). Kelly and Kornienko completed an International Space Station record year-long mission to collect valuable data on the effect of long duration weightlessness on the human body that will be used to formulate a human mission to Mars. Volkov returned after spending six months on the station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly of NASA is helped out of the Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft just minutes after he and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Sergey Volkov of Roscosmos landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 (Kazakh time). Kelly and Kornienko completed an International Space Station record year-long mission to collect valuable data on the effect of long duration weightlessness on the human body that will be used to formulate a human mission to Mars. Volkov returned after spending six months on the station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly of NASA is carried into a medical tent after he and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Volkov, and Mikhail Kornienko of Roscosmos landed in their Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 (Kazakh time). Kelly and Kornienko completed an International Space Station record year-long mission to collect valuable data on the effect of long duration weightlessness on the human body that will be used to formulate a human mission to Mars. Volkov returned after spending six months on the station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA Director for Human Space Flight Programs - Russia Sean Fuller talks on a satellite phone as an all terrain vehicle (ATV) brings Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly of NASA to a waiting helicopter at the soyuz landing site near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 (Kazakh time). Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko completed an International Space Station record year-long mission to collect valuable data on the effect of long duration weightlessness on the human body that will be used to formulate a human mission to Mars. Russian cosmonaut Sergey Volkov returned after spending six months on the station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Russian cosmonaut Sergey Volkov of Roscosmos is helped out of the Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft just minutes after he and Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly of NASA and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 (Kazakh time). Kelly and Kornienko completed an International Space Station record year-long mission to collect valuable data on the effect of long duration weightlessness on the human body that will be used to formulate a human mission to Mars. Volkov returned after spending six months on the station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Russian Search and Rescue teams work on top of the Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft after Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly of NASA and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Sergey Volkov of Roscosmos landed and were extracted from the capsule near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 (Kazakh time). Kelly and Kornienko completed an International Space Station record year-long mission to collect valuable data on the effect of long duration weightlessness on the human body that will be used to formulate a human mission to Mars. Volkov returned after spending six months on the station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, commander Sergei Volkov and Aidyn Aimbetov were launched into space on 2 September at 04:38 GMT (06:38 CEST) from Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.

The launch marks the start of ESA’s 10-day ‘iriss’ mission that will focus on testing new technologies and ways of running complex space missions.

The astronaut’s Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft was pushed into Earth orbit as planned accelerating 50 km/h on every second for the first nine minutes of their launch.

Their docking is planned on 4 September at 07:42 GMT (09:42 CEST) but they will not enter their new home in space until the astronauts on both sides of the spacecraft hatch to ensure that there are no leaks.

Follow the whole mission with live updates via the iriss mission blog and Twitter via @esaoperations

Connect with Andreas at: andreasmogensen.esa.int/

Credit: ESA-S. Corvaja

Russian Search and Rescue teams are seen at the Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft landing site after Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly of NASA and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Sergey Volkov of Roscosmos landed the capsule near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 (Kazakh time). Kelly and Kornienko completed an International Space Station record year-long mission to collect valuable data on the effect of long duration weightlessness on the human body that will be used to formulate a human mission to Mars. Volkov returned after spending six months on the station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Russian cosmonaut Sergey Volkov of Roscosmos rest in a chair outside of the Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft and visits with his father, former cosmonaut Alexander Volkov, left, just minutes after he and Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly of NASA and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 (Kazakh time). Kelly and Kornienko completed an International Space Station record year-long mission to collect valuable data on the effect of long duration weightlessness on the human body that will be used to formulate a human mission to Mars. Volkov returned after spending six months on the station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, commander Sergei Volkov and Aidyn Aimbetov were launched into space on 2 September at 04:38 GMT (06:38 CEST) from Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.

The launch marks the start of ESA’s 10-day ‘iriss’ mission that will focus on testing new technologies and ways of running complex space missions.

The astronaut’s Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft was pushed into Earth orbit as planned accelerating 50 km/h on every second for the first nine minutes of their launch.

Their docking is planned on 4 September at 07:42 GMT (09:42 CEST) but they will not enter their new home in space until the astronauts on both sides of the spacecraft hatch to ensure that there are no leaks.

Follow the whole mission with live updates via the iriss mission blog and Twitter via @esaoperations

Connect with Andreas at: andreasmogensen.esa.int/

Credit: ESA-S. Corvaja

Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly of NASA rests in a chair outside of the Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft just minutes after he and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Sergey Volkov of Roscosmos landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 (Kazakh time). Kelly and Kornienko completed an International Space Station record year-long mission to collect valuable data on the effect of long duration weightlessness on the human body that will be used to formulate a human mission to Mars. Volkov returned after spending six months on the station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, commander Sergei Volkov and Aidyn Aimbetov were launched into space on 2 September at 04:38 GMT (06:38 CEST) from Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.

The launch marks the start of ESA’s 10-day ‘iriss’ mission that will focus on testing new technologies and ways of running complex space missions.

The astronaut’s Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft was pushed into Earth orbit as planned accelerating 50 km/h on every second for the first nine minutes of their launch.

Their docking is planned on 4 September at 07:42 GMT (09:42 CEST) but they will not enter their new home in space until the astronauts on both sides of the spacecraft hatch to ensure that there are no leaks.

Follow the whole mission with live updates via the iriss mission blog and Twitter via @esaoperations

Connect with Andreas at: andreasmogensen.esa.int/

Credit: ESA-S. Corvaja

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, commander Sergei Volkov and Aidyn Aimbetov were launched into space on 2 September at 04:38 GMT (06:38 CEST) from Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.

The launch marks the start of ESA’s 10-day ‘iriss’ mission that will focus on testing new technologies and ways of running complex space missions.

The astronaut’s Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft was pushed into Earth orbit as planned accelerating 50 km/h on every second for the first nine minutes of their launch.

Their docking is planned on 4 September at 07:42 GMT (09:42 CEST) but they will not enter their new home in space until the astronauts on both sides of the spacecraft hatch to ensure that there are no leaks.

Follow the whole mission with live updates via the iriss mission blog and Twitter via @esaoperations

Connect with Andreas at: andreasmogensen.esa.int/

Credit: ESA-S. Corvaja

Official portrait of ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen from the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre.

Credit: GCTC

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, commander Sergei Volkov and Aidyn Aimbetov were launched into space on 2 September at 04:38 GMT (06:38 CEST) from Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.

The launch marks the start of ESA’s 10-day ‘iriss’ mission that will focus on testing new technologies and ways of running complex space missions.

The astronaut’s Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft was pushed into Earth orbit as planned accelerating 50 km/h on every second for the first nine minutes of their launch.

Their docking is planned on 4 September at 07:42 GMT (09:42 CEST) but they will not enter their new home in space until the astronauts on both sides of the spacecraft hatch to ensure that there are no leaks.

Follow the whole mission with live updates via the iriss mission blog and Twitter via @esaoperations

Connect with Andreas at: andreasmogensen.esa.int/

Credit: ESA-S. Corvaja

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, commander Sergei Volkov and Aidyn Aimbetov were launched into space on 2 September at 04:38 GMT (06:38 CEST) from Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.

The launch marks the start of ESA’s 10-day ‘iriss’ mission that will focus on testing new technologies and ways of running complex space missions.

The astronaut’s Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft was pushed into Earth orbit as planned accelerating 50 km/h on every second for the first nine minutes of their launch.

Their docking is planned on 4 September at 07:42 GMT (09:42 CEST) but they will not enter their new home in space until the astronauts on both sides of the spacecraft hatch to ensure that there are no leaks.

Follow the whole mission with live updates via the iriss mission blog and Twitter via @esaoperations

Connect with Andreas at: andreasmogensen.esa.int/

Credit: ESA-S. Corvaja

Soyuz TMA-18M crew members ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Kazakh cosmonaut Aidyn Aimbetov, and Roscosmos spacecraft commander Sergei Volkov, greeting audience at the launch pad in Baikonour, Kazakhstan, on 2 September 2015.

Follow the whole mission with live updates via the iriss mission blog and Twitter via @esaoperations

Connect with Andreas at: andreasmogensen.esa.int/

Credit: ESA–S. Corvaja, 2015

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, commander Sergei Volkov and Aidyn Aimbetov were launched into space on 2 September at 04:38 GMT (06:38 CEST) from Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.

The launch marks the start of ESA’s 10-day ‘iriss’ mission that will focus on testing new technologies and ways of running complex space missions.

The astronaut’s Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft was pushed into Earth orbit as planned accelerating 50 km/h on every second for the first nine minutes of their launch.

Their docking is planned on 4 September at 07:42 GMT (09:42 CEST) but they will not enter their new home in space until the astronauts on both sides of the spacecraft hatch to ensure that there are no leaks.

Follow the whole mission with live updates via the iriss mission blog and Twitter via @esaoperations

Connect with Andreas at: andreasmogensen.esa.int/

Credit: ESA-S. Corvaja

Soyuz TMA-18M crew members ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Kazakh cosmonaut Aidyn Aimbetov, and Roscosmos spacecraft commander Sergei Volkov, greeting audience at the launch pad in Baikonour, Kazakhstan, on 2 September 2015.

Follow the whole mission with live updates via the iriss mission blog and Twitter via @esaoperations

Connect with Andreas at: andreasmogensen.esa.int/

Credit: ESA–S. Corvaja, 2015

Russian Search and Rescue teams arrive at the Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft after it landed with Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly of NASA and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Sergey Volkov of Roscosmos near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 (Kazakh time). Kelly and Kornienko completed an International Space Station record year-long mission to collect valuable data on the effect of long duration weightlessness on the human body that will be used to formulate a human mission to Mars. Volkov returned after spending six months on the station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Former cosmonaut and father of Russian cosmonaut Sergey Volkov, Alexander Volkov waits for his son to be extracted from the Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft with Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly of NASA and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 (Kazakh time). Kelly and Kornienko completed an International Space Station record year-long mission to collect valuable data on the effect of long duration weightlessness on the human body that will be used to formulate a human mission to Mars. Volkov returned after spending six months on the station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, commander Sergei Volkov and Aidyn Aimbetov were launched into space on 2 September at 04:38 GMT (06:38 CEST) from Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.

The launch marks the start of ESA’s 10-day ‘iriss’ mission that will focus on testing new technologies and ways of running complex space missions.

The astronaut’s Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft was pushed into Earth orbit as planned accelerating 50 km/h on every second for the first nine minutes of their launch.

Their docking is planned on 4 September at 07:42 GMT (09:42 CEST) but they will not enter their new home in space until the astronauts on both sides of the spacecraft hatch to ensure that there are no leaks.

Follow the whole mission with live updates via the iriss mission blog and Twitter via @esaoperations

Connect with Andreas at: andreasmogensen.esa.int/

Credit: ESA-S. Corvaja

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen greeting audience at the launch pad in Baikonour, Kazakhstan, on 2 September 2015.

Andreas Mogensen will leave for the International Space Station with commander Sergei Volkov and Kazakh cosmonaut Aidyn Aimbetov.

Follow the whole mission with live updates via the iriss mission blog and Twitter via @esaoperations

Connect with Andreas at: andreasmogensen.esa.int/

Credit: ESA–S. Corvaja, 2015

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, commander Sergei Volkov and Aidyn Aimbetov were launched into space on 2 September at 04:38 GMT (06:38 CEST) from Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.

The launch marks the start of ESA’s 10-day ‘iriss’ mission that will focus on testing new technologies and ways of running complex space missions.

The astronaut’s Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft was pushed into Earth orbit as planned accelerating 50 km/h on every second for the first nine minutes of their launch.

Their docking is planned on 4 September at 07:42 GMT (09:42 CEST) but they will not enter their new home in space until the astronauts on both sides of the spacecraft hatch to ensure that there are no leaks.

Follow the whole mission with live updates via the iriss mission blog and Twitter via @esaoperations

Connect with Andreas at: andreasmogensen.esa.int/

Credit: ESA-S. Corvaja

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, commander Sergei Volkov and Aidyn Aimbetov were launched into space on 2 September at 04:38 GMT (06:38 CEST) from Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.

The launch marks the start of ESA’s 10-day ‘iriss’ mission that will focus on testing new technologies and ways of running complex space missions.

The astronaut’s Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft was pushed into Earth orbit as planned accelerating 50 km/h on every second for the first nine minutes of their launch.

Their docking is planned on 4 September at 07:42 GMT (09:42 CEST) but they will not enter their new home in space until the astronauts on both sides of the spacecraft hatch to ensure that there are no leaks.

Follow the whole mission with live updates via the iriss mission blog and Twitter via @esaoperations

Connect with Andreas at: andreasmogensen.esa.int/

Credit: ESA-S. Corvaja

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, commander Sergei Volkov and Aidyn Aimbetov were launched into space on 2 September at 04:38 GMT (06:38 CEST) from Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.

The launch marks the start of ESA’s 10-day ‘iriss’ mission that will focus on testing new technologies and ways of running complex space missions.

The astronaut’s Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft was pushed into Earth orbit as planned accelerating 50 km/h on every second for the first nine minutes of their launch.

Their docking is planned on 4 September at 07:42 GMT (09:42 CEST) but they will not enter their new home in space until the astronauts on both sides of the spacecraft hatch to ensure that there are no leaks.

Follow the whole mission with live updates via the iriss mission blog and Twitter via @esaoperations

Connect with Andreas at: andreasmogensen.esa.int/

Credit: ESA-S. Corvaja

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, commander Sergei Volkov and Aidyn Aimbetov were launched into space on 2 September at 04:38 GMT (06:38 CEST) from Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.

The launch marks the start of ESA’s 10-day ‘iriss’ mission that will focus on testing new technologies and ways of running complex space missions.

The astronaut’s Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft was pushed into Earth orbit as planned accelerating 50 km/h on every second for the first nine minutes of their launch.

Their docking is planned on 4 September at 07:42 GMT (09:42 CEST) but they will not enter their new home in space until the astronauts on both sides of the spacecraft hatch to ensure that there are no leaks.

Follow the whole mission with live updates via the iriss mission blog and Twitter via @esaoperations

Connect with Andreas at: andreasmogensen.esa.int/

Credit: ESA-S. Corvaja

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, commander Sergei Volkov and Aidyn Aimbetov were launched into space on 2 September at 04:38 GMT (06:38 CEST) from Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.

The launch marks the start of ESA’s 10-day ‘iriss’ mission that will focus on testing new technologies and ways of running complex space missions.

The astronaut’s Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft was pushed into Earth orbit as planned accelerating 50 km/h on every second for the first nine minutes of their launch.

Their docking is planned on 4 September at 07:42 GMT (09:42 CEST) but they will not enter their new home in space until the astronauts on both sides of the spacecraft hatch to ensure that there are no leaks.

Follow the whole mission with live updates via the iriss mission blog and Twitter via @esaoperations

Connect with Andreas at: andreasmogensen.esa.int/

Credit: ESA-S. Corvaja

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, commander Sergei Volkov and Aidyn Aimbetov were launched into space on 2 September at 04:38 GMT (06:38 CEST) from Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.

The launch marks the start of ESA’s 10-day ‘iriss’ mission that will focus on testing new technologies and ways of running complex space missions.

The astronaut’s Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft was pushed into Earth orbit as planned accelerating 50 km/h on every second for the first nine minutes of their launch.

Their docking is planned on 4 September at 07:42 GMT (09:42 CEST) but they will not enter their new home in space until the astronauts on both sides of the spacecraft hatch to ensure that there are no leaks.

Follow the whole mission with live updates via the iriss mission blog and Twitter via @esaoperations

Connect with Andreas at: andreasmogensen.esa.int/

Credit: ESA-S. Corvaja

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen greeting audience at the launch pad in Baikonour, Kazakhstan, on 2 September 2015.

Andreas Mogensen will leave for the International Space Station with commander Sergei Volkov and Kazakh cosmonaut Aidyn Aimbetov.

Follow the whole mission with live updates via the iriss mission blog and Twitter via @esaoperations

Connect with Andreas at: andreasmogensen.esa.int/

Credit: ESA–S. Corvaja, 2015

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, commander Sergei Volkov and Aidyn Aimbetov were launched into space on 2 September at 04:38 GMT (06:38 CEST) from Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.

The launch marks the start of ESA’s 10-day ‘iriss’ mission that will focus on testing new technologies and ways of running complex space missions.

The astronaut’s Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft was pushed into Earth orbit as planned accelerating 50 km/h on every second for the first nine minutes of their launch.

Their docking is planned on 4 September at 07:42 GMT (09:42 CEST) but they will not enter their new home in space until the astronauts on both sides of the spacecraft hatch to ensure that there are no leaks.

Follow the whole mission with live updates via the iriss mission blog and Twitter via @esaoperations

Connect with Andreas at: andreasmogensen.esa.int/

Credit: ESA-S. Corvaja

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen dressed in his Russian Sokol suit, with his backup, ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, ready for launch to the International Space Station, from the Baikonour cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan, on 2 September 2015.

Follow the whole mission with live updates via the iriss mission blog and Twitter via @esaoperations

Connect with Andreas at: andreasmogensen.esa.int/

Credit: ESA–S. Corvaja, 2015

The Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft ready for launch, on 2 September 2015.

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen will leave for the International Space Station from Baikonour cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with commander Sergei Volkov and Kazakh cosmonaut Aidyn Aimbetov.

Follow the whole mission with live updates via the iriss mission blog and Twitter via @esaoperations

Connect with Andreas at: andreasmogensen.esa.int/

Credit: ESA–S. Corvaja, 2015