Damaged Baikonur Launch Pad Facility Restored After 2025 Collapse

Repairs to the service cabin at Baikonur Cosmodrome’s Launch Pad No. 31 have been completed. Roscosmos has announced that the site is scheduled to launch the Progress MS-33 cargo spacecraft on 22 March, Orda.kz reports.

Launch Pad No. 31 is used for both cargo and crewed Soyuz missions to the International Space Station. The restoration work took more than two months. Over 150 "TsENKI" employees and specialists from contracting organizations were involved in the project.

The most challenging stage was installing 19-metre-long structural elements weighing approximately 17 tonnes. These were mounted through a fire-access opening using a specially developed scheme.

Preparations for the Progress MS-33 launch began on 3 March. The spacecraft is expected to deliver fuel, equipment, supplies and parcels to the ISS crew.

The service cabin collapsed in late November 2025 following the launch of the crewed Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft. Launch Pad No. 31 is currently the only site used for ISS flight operations.

Original author: Natalya Ovchinnikova

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