Roscosmos Resumes Launches to the ISS from the Repaired Pad at Baikonur Cosmodrome

At the end of November 2025, a problem in the attachment system of the maintenance platform at Site 31/6 of the Baikonur cosmodrome raised concerns about the possibility of Roscosmos launching missions to the International Space Station (ISS). That pad is the only one currently available to Russia for launching Soyuz 2.1a rockets with Progress and Soyuz capsules to the ISS.

The most pessimistic estimates suggested it would take about two years to repair the pad, while the more optimistic projected a three-month downtime for restoration operations.

Roscosmos worked hard throughout the winter to restore ground facilities and completed the operations within the minimum expected time.

On March 22, the first (uncrewed) mission to the International Space Station was launched from Site 31/6. This was the cargo mission Progress MS-33, also known as Progress 94, carrying 2.5 tons of cargo, including 1.2 tons of supplies for the crew of Expedition 74 as well as equipment for the scientific experiment Sun-Terahertz. There were also 828 kg of fuel for refueling the ISS, 420 liters of drinking water for the cosmonauts, and 50 kg of oxygen for the internal atmosphere of the space station.

Roscosmos announced that the launch was a success, and the pad now appears safe for future crewed missions. Despite everything, the Progress MS-33 spacecraft encountered a problem with the deployment of one of the two antennas for the KURS automatic docking system with the International Space Station. Therefore, the operation was carried out manually by cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov. This inconvenience, while rare, includes backup systems (switching from automatic docking to manual), for which astronauts and cosmonauts are trained.

Roscosmos can therefore "breathe a sigh of relief," also demonstrating its ability to intervene under difficult conditions (and under the watchful eye of NASA, which was monitoring the situation).

In the coming years, Roscosmos will phase out the Soyuz 2.1a systems and Soyuz/Progress capsules in favor of upgraded vehicles and potentially better capsules from a technological standpoint. Reportedly, the PTK NP capsule, named Oryol, could debut in 2028 and will be one of the main choices for transporting cosmonauts to the new Russian space station ROS.