THE INTERNATIONAL Space Station (ISS) crew members Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov, film director Klim Shipenko and actress Yulia Peresild wave as they leave to board the spacecraft shortly before the launch at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Oct. 5 . — ROSCOSMOS/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS

MOSCOW —  A Russian actress and a film director blasted off for the International Space Station on Tuesday, beating Tom Cruise in the race to shoot the first movie in space.

The Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft is set to dock at 1212 GMT at the station, which orbits Earth at an altitude of around 220 miles (354 km).

Russian state media provided blanket and patriotic coverage in the run-up, with a countdown clock running on Channel One and news anchors framing the development as a significant breakthrough by Russia that the rest of the world is watching closely.

The launch to film the movie The Challenge puts Russia on course to beat the United States in the latest chapter of the space race. Actress Yulia Peresild and director Klim Shipenko will reach the cosmos ahead of Mr. Cruise, whose plans to blast off on a SpaceX rocket for an as-yet-untitled Hollywood film were announced by NASA last year.

Russia’s own space industry has in recent years been dogged by delays, accidents, and corruption scandals, while US-based private firms backed by rich businessmen such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have developed new spaceships.

Ms. Peresild and Mr. Shipenko were accompanied at the launch of their 12-day mission by two Russian cosmonauts.

In the film, Ms. Peresild plays a doctor who is asked to travel to the space station to save a cosmonaut’s life. Cosmonaut crew members are also set to appear.

Director Klim Shipenko, whose height of 1.9 metres (6 feet 2 inches) makes the flight in a small capsule especially challenging, has already said he is looking forward to a Mars-based sequel. —  Reuters

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR