Following its orbit corrections, Soyuz MS-03 was scheduled to begin an autonomous rendezvous with the ISS around 22:40:54 Moscow Time on Nov. 19, 2016, aiming to lock sensors of its Kurs-NA rendezvous system onto the station during the 33rd orbit of the mission.
The final maneuvers, including a flyaround of the ISS, a short station-keeping period and berthing were scheduled to commence at 00:39:53 Moscow Time on November 20.
The docking of the Soyuz MS-03 spacecraft and the ISS took place at 4:58:35 p.m. EST (November 19) over the northeastern coast of Brazil, around three minutes ahead of schedule. (The milestone was originally scheduled on Nov. 20, 2016, at 01:01:46 Moscow Time (5:01 p.m. EST on November 19).
The spacecraft berthed at the nadir (Earth-facing) port of the MIM1 Rassvet module, a part of the Russian segment of the ISS. According to NASA, hooks of the docking mechanism, securing the Soyuz at its docking position were successfully closed at 5:04 p.m. EST.
Once aboard, they will reside there for some five months as part of Expeditions 50 and 51. The trio will join Roscosmos cosmonauts Andrei Borisenko and Sergey Ryzhikov as well as NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough to bring the ISS crew complement back up to six to round out the year.
After the crew settles in, in December, the outpost will be gearing up for a busy period of visiting vehicle arrivals. Additionally, in January, a number at least two spacewalks will be performed to upgrade the space station’s batteries.

Cargo aboard Progress MS-03:
Total spacecraft liftoff mass 7,281 kilograms
Propellant for the integrated propulsion system, KDU
880 kilograms
Propellant in the refueling tanks 705 kilograms
Compressed air in the Oxygen Supply System, SrPK
22 kilograms Compressed oxygen in the Oxygen Supply System, SrPK 28 kilograms
Water in the Rodnik system 420 kilograms

Total mass of supplies in the pressurized cargo compartment, including... 1,230 kilograms
Gas Content System, SOGs (absorbent P-16)
19 kilograms Water Supply System, SVO (purification column unit, water container, supplies)
273 kilograms Sanitary and Hygiene Supplies, SGO (toilet system inserts, toilet paper, containers with preservatives, solid waste containers, separator pump, trash container, toilet system supplies)
148 kilograms Medical Supplies, SMO (underwear, medical checkup equipment, personal hygiene items, means of anti-weightlessness effects prevention, first-aid equipment, air-monitoring equipment, cleaning supplies)
135 kilograms Food Provisions, SOP, (containers with food, fresh food items, napkins, food disposal bags)
318 kilograms Thermal Control System, SOTR (dust filter replacement cartridges, air duct cover)
19 kilograms Power Supply System, SEP (battery unit 800A)
78 kilograms
Motion and Navigation Control System, SUDN (command-generating unit)
22 kilograms
Servicing and Repair System, STOR (container bags, instrument kit and supplies)
23 kilograms
Means of Crew Support, KSPE (onboard documentation, personal packages for the crew, jackets, portable player, batteries, envelope package)
31 kilograms
Instrument payloads, KTsN (consumables and spare parts for experiments: Tritel, Biopribory, Konstanta, MSK, Bioekologiya, Luch-2M equipment for scientific experiments)
15 kilograms
Add-on equipment (packaging bag)
5 kilograms
Hardware for FGB module
83 kilograms
Hardware for MIM1 Rassvet module (storage package, heat-exchanger, hoses kit and attachments)
39 kilograms
American cargo (cargo for US crew members, life-support items)
22 kilograms
Total mass of cargo

Soyuz MS-03 is the third of the MS variant of the storied Russian Soyuz capsule. When it launches, it will be the 132nd flight of any Soyuz since 1967. Furthermore, this will be the 86th crewed launch to the outpost and 181st overall since the Zarya module launched in 1998.

Whitson's flight on Soyuz MS-03 to the space station and back will extend her existing record as the woman with the most time in space. Before launching Thursday, Whitson had logged 377 days on two prior trips to the station. With the additional 179 days during Expedition 50/51, she will also set the new record for the most time in space by an American, surpassing astronaut Jeff Williams' 534 days set in September.
"For me, personally, I don't think it's that important, but it is important that we keep breaking the records, that we keep pushing further and doing more," (via a media interview)