A Soyuz spacecraft prepares for liftoff.<br/> <br />(SOT: voiceover of countdown and liftoff)<br/> <br />It's carrying two Russians and an American to the International Space Station, where the men are to spend five months in orbit.<br/> <br />The launch had been delayed by eight days because of an equipment problem, but Tuesday's takeoff was successful.<br/> <br />U.S. astronaut Kevin Ford is making his second space voyage, while the Russians cosmonauts are on their first mission.<br/> <br />The trio will join three ISS crew members already at the station who are slated to return to Earth on November 12.
