A Russian rocket blasted off from a cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, lighting up the frigid Central Asian steppe today and shuttling an American, a Russian and a Japanese to the International Space Station.

Standing in the early morning cold, the astronauts’ families and friends watched as the Soyuz craft soared atop a tower of bright orange flames.

The Soyuz TMA-17’s three astronauts will take the orbiting laboratory’s permanent crew to five following the early-hours launch, the first-ever blastoff of a Soyuz rocket on a winter night.

Timothy J. Creamer, Soichi Noguchi and Oleg Kotov are to join current inhabitants, American Jeff Williams and Russian Maxim Surayev, who have been alone on the space station for three weeks.

This was a “spectacular launch, a great Christmas present,” NASA spokesman Rob Navias said after space officials confirmed the rocket had entered into orbit. “A great way to finish the year.”

A NASA television Webcast showed the crew giving a thumbs up sign as the vessel hurtled skyward.

One minute into the launch, the rocket reached a speed of around 1,640 feet per second.

The Soyuz will travel for about two days before docking with the space station 220 miles above Earth.

Reporting to Russian space officials prior to the launch, the astronauts seemed calm and relaxed.

Speaking fluent Russian, Creamer thanked technical staff for their role in preparing for the expedition.

One of the main aims of the expedition will be to deliver a full-fledged module to the space station, complete with a seven-window cupola for prime Earth gazing, Navias said.