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Thanksgiving Launch: Chris Williams Heads to the ISS on Soyuz MS-28 — How to Watch

Chris Williams will launch to the ISS on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025, aboard Soyuz MS-28, with liftoff targeted for 4:27 a.m. ET from Baikonur. NASA will livestream coverage beginning at 3:30 a.m. ET on NASA+, YouTube, X and Amazon Prime. Williams — on his first spaceflight — and two Russian crewmates will spend about eight months conducting research and station maintenance. Their arrival will briefly increase the station population during the crew handover.

09:29 PM, 11/25/2025Science
Thanksgiving Launch: Chris Williams Heads to the ISS on Soyuz MS-28 — How to Watch

NASA astronaut Chris Williams is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station aboard the Russian Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025. Liftoff from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan is targeted for 4:27 a.m. ET (2:27 p.m. local time). Williams will fly with two Russian cosmonauts and is set to spend about eight months aboard the orbital laboratory.

Launch and crew

The Soyuz MS-28 crew includes NASA astronaut Chris Williams (on his first spaceflight), Sergey Mikaev (first flight), and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov (second flight). They will replace the Soyuz MS-27 crew, which includes NASA astronaut Jonny Kim and cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky.

Mission goals and duration

The trio will perform scientific research in microgravity, support station maintenance and operations, and participate in routine crew handovers. Their stay is expected to last roughly eight months, with a targeted return to Earth in summer 2026.

Where and when to watch

NASA will stream live coverage of the mission beginning at 3:30 a.m. ET on launch day and will continue through docking and the hatch-opening welcome ceremony. The livestream will be available on the NASA+ app, NASA's YouTube channel, the agency's X account, and Amazon Prime.

About the International Space Station

The International Space Station (ISS) has been continuously inhabited since Nov. 2, 2000, marking more than 25 years of human presence in low-Earth orbit. The station orbits roughly 260 miles above Earth, measures about 356 feet long, and includes six sleeping quarters, two bathrooms, a gym, and a 360-degree bay window. It can host up to eight docked spacecraft and occasionally supports temporary increases in crew size during handovers.

Current station crew and handover

As of late November the ISS is home to seven crew members as part of Expedition 73, including four Crew-11 members who arrived on a SpaceX Dragon: NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. When the Soyuz MS-28 docks, up to 10 people may be aboard briefly during the handover period before the Soyuz MS-27 crew departs in early December.

By Eric Lagatta

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