Watch the Soyuz Lift Off for the International Space Station [VIDEO]

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A Russian Soyuz lifted off from Kazakhstan early Sunday morning, carrying three astronauts bound for the International Space Station.

The crew, made up of astronauts from Russia, Japan and the United States, will fly for two days before docking at the ISS for a six-week mission. They will join three others already on board the station orbiting some 255 miles or so above the surface of the Earth.

The crew will conduct a series of experiments and prepare the ISS for a busier-than-normal period of activity, according to the Associated Press.

With the United States' space shuttle program over but its domestic replacement not yet off the ground, American astronauts are forced to hitch a ride on board other countries' spacecraft to get to the ISS.

NASA's Orion spacecraft, which will be launched atop a Delta IV rocket, will serve as the shuttle's replacement. However, it's not expected to be ready for manned flight until sometime after 2020.