Russia successfully launched a Soyuz-2.1a rocket from the repaired Site 31 launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on March 23, 2026, restoring its capacity to send supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) after a five-month hiatus. The Progress MS-33 cargo spacecraft, carrying over 2.5 tonnes of supplies, is scheduled to dock with the ISS's Poisk module on March 24.
While the launch proceeded smoothly, Roscosmos confirmed one of the spacecraft's docking antennas failed to deploy fully. Cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov will perform a manual docking procedure, a routine contingency measure according to Oleg Kononenko, head of the Cosmonaut Training Center. NASA stated all other systems remain operational, with no impact on the mission's timeline.
The Baikonur Cosmodrome, leased by Russia until 2050, regained its status as Russia's sole operational ISS crewed launch site after repairs to Site 31. The pad had been damaged during the Soyuz MS-28 launch in November 2025, temporarily halting Russia's ISS missions. Today's launch marks a critical step in sustaining Russia's space operations amid ongoing international collaborations.
