The capsule on top of a towering rocket set off from Russia's manned space launch facility in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, and docked with the space station after two orbits of the Earth, a fast trip compared with some that have lasted for days.

The crew already aboard the station were performing a lengthy series of system checks before those in the capsule can enter.

The mission commander is Alexei Ovchinin, with Russian compatriot Ivan Vagner and American Donald Pettit in the crew.

The launch took place without obvious problems and the Soyuz entered orbit eight minutes after lift-off, a relief for Russian space authorities after an automated safety system halted a launch in March because of a voltage drop in the power system.

On the space station, Mr Pettit, Mr Vagner and Mr Ovchinin will join Nasa's Tracy Dyson, Mike Barratt, Matthew Dominick, Jeanette Epps, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, and Russians Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin and Oleg Kononenko.