Soyuz rocket: First crewed launch since failure docks at ISS Published duration 3 December 2018

image copyright EPA image caption The team will spend six-and-a-half months on the International Space Station (ISS)

Three astronauts have docked at the International Space Station, on the first crewed Soyuz rocket launch since a dramatic failure in October.

Astronauts from Russia, the US and Canada left from Kazakhstan on their mission at 17:30 (11:30 GMT).

Russian space agency Roscomos then confirmed their successful docking at the station on Twitter.

October's aborted trip saw two astronauts forced to make an emergency landing just minutes after take-off.

Investigators blamed a faulty sensor which they said had been damaged during assembly at the Kazakh site.

Tweets in Russian and English showed the spacecraft docking at the ISS successfully.

Speaking before the trip on Sunday, crew commander Oleg Kononenko affirmed his crew "absolutely" trusted the flight's preparation.

"Risk is part of our profession," the 54-year-old said at a press conference.

"We are psychologically and technically prepared for blast-off and any situation which, God forbid, may occur on board."

A rehearsal unmanned flight, which delivered cargo including food and fuel supplies, was successfully carried out in mid-November.

media caption The booster failure became apparent about 90 seconds into the October flight

The three-person crew's mission was originally scheduled for later this month, but officials brought it forward to avoid the ISS being left unmanned when its current crew return to earth.

The incident on 11 October cast a spotlight on the safety of Russia's space programme, whose fleet have suffered a number of technical failures in recent years.

Nasa gave reassurances about their continued co-operation with and trust in the Russian programme following the incident.

Who's on board Expedition 58?

David Saint-Jacques (L), 48, Canadian engineer, astrophysicist and family doctor

Oleg Kononenko (C), 54, Russian; three space flights on ISS in 2008, 2011-12 and 2015, totalling 534 days and including three space walks

Anne McClain (R), 39, US; experienced pilot who studied as postgraduate at University of Bath and Bristol in UK

Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, is currently the only organisation transporting astronauts to the ISS after Nasa ended its space shuttle flights in 2011.

The crew who arrived at the station on Monday will spend six-and-a-half months on board the station.

Reports say a Russian Orthodox priest blessed their rocket before its flight, as is traditional.