US and Russian space crew arrive at International Space Station

Nasa astronaut Jonny Kim and two Russian crewmates arrived at the International Space Station on board a Russian spacecraft.

A Soyuz booster rocket lifted off as scheduled from the Russia-leased Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan to put the Soyuz MS-27 carrying the trio in orbit.

They docked at the station just over three hours later.

Nasa said Mr Kim will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to help prepare the crew for future space missions and provide benefits to people on Earth.

A native of Los Angeles, Mr Kim is a US Navy lieutenant commander and dual-designated naval aviator and flight surgeon.

Mr Kim, Mr Ryzhikov and Mr Zubritsky are joining Nasa astronauts Don Pettit, Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s astronaut Takuya Onishi and Russian cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner and Kirill Peskov on the space outpost.