Rocket With Cargo for ISS Launched From Baikonur

This is the first launch from Site № 31 after its restoration, Orda.kz reports.

The launch of Soyuz‑2.1a with the Progress MS‑33 spacecraft took place at 16:59:51 Astana time. The rocket placed the spacecraft into orbit in normal mode: it separated from the third stage, and its solar panels and antennas deployed without failure.

Progress MS‑33 carries more than 2.5 tons of cargo to the ISS. On board are fuel to maintain the station's orbit, water, food, oxygen, as well as equipment and materials for scientific experiments. Among them is the radio telescope "Sun‑Terahertz", which will observe the Sun in a rare range.

Docking with the Poisk module is scheduled in two days – on March 24.

Currently, the crew of the 74th expedition is working at the station: Russian cosmonauts Sergei Kud‑Sverchkov and Sergey Mikaev, as well as NASA astronaut Christopher Lee Williams.

The launch took place from Site № 31, which was restored after the collapse of the service cabin in November 2025. The completion of the repair became known in early March – at the same time the shipment of Progress MS‑33 was announced. This site remains the only one used for the flight program to the ISS.

Original author: Natalya Ovchinnikova

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