It was the 70th and final ride for the Soyuz-FG rocket. Flying into retirement after a career dedicated to serving as a bridge between the older Soyuz-U and the newer Soyuz 2 rocket variants, the launch marked the final use (as currently planned) of historic pad Site No. 1/5 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome from which human space exploration began over 58 years ago.
Aboard the Soyuz MS-15 crew vehicle are an international crew of three, including Hazzaa AlMansoori from the United Arab Emirates who will become the first Emirati astronaut. Launch occurred at 09:57 EDT (13:57 UTC), followed by docking to the Station just under six hours later at 15:42 EDT (19:42 UTC).