Russian-US space crew en route to International Space Station

During their mission, the crew will work on hundreds of experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science and Earth science.

The Soyuz MS-18 rocket is launched (Bill Ingalls/AP)

A Russian-US trio of space travellers launched successfully, heading for the International Space Station.

Nasa astronaut Mark Vande Hei and Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov blasted off as scheduled at 12:42pm local time aboard the Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft from the Russia-leased Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan.