On Tuesday, a Russian actress and a film director launched for the International Orbit Station, beating Tom Cruise to the first movie shot in space.
At 12:12 GMT, the Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft will dock at the station, which circles Earth at a height of roughly 220 miles (354 km).
In the run-up to the event, Russian official media aired extensive and patriotic coverage, with a countdown clock on Channel One and news anchors portraying the event as a huge breakthrough by Russia that the rest of the world is closely watching.
