Three astronauts will launch to space on Monday — two months after botched flight

Early Monday morning, a crew of three astronauts are set to launch to the International Space Station on a Russian Soyuz rocket — the first time people will ride on the Soyuz after the vehicle broke apart mid-flight in October with two passengers on board. Following an investigation, Russia claims to have identified and fixed the problem that led to the failure, deeming the rocket ready to carry people again.

The Soyuz has launched successfully four times since the accident. However, it has only launched once in the same configuration as the Soyuz that failed, a version of the rocket known as the Soyuz FG. That launch in November was a success, and put a Russian cargo capsule called Progress into orbit. The flight paved the way for...

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