A Soyuz space capsule carrying a Russian, an American and a Japanese has docked smoothly with the International Space Station.

The capsule connected to the orbiting laboratory about 250 miles above earth.

The rocket had lifted off from a Russian manned launch facility in Kazakhstan about 5 hours and 45 minutes earlier.

The capsule was carrying Oleg Kononenko of Russia, NASA's Kjell Lindgren and Kimiya Yui of Japan. They will join Gennady Padalka, Mikhail Kornienko and Scott Kelly. The latter two are more than four months into a nearly year-long mission on the space station.

Yesterday's launch was postponed by about two months after the April failure of an unmanned Russian cargo ship, which raised concerns about Russian rocketry. Another Russian cargo ship was successfully launched in early July.

Video: Reuters

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