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3d ago

Russia Plans Manual Docking of Progress Cargo Ship After Antenna Glitch

The launch from a repaired Baikonur pad restored Russia’s only path for ISS resupply.

A Soyuz-2.1a rocket booster with a Progress MS-33 cargo spacecraft blasts off to the International Space Station (ISS) from the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan March 22, 2026. Roscosmos/Handout via REUTERS
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Site 31 was Russia's only operational launch pad for crewed missions
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Overview

  • Progress MS-33, which launched Sunday from Baikonur, is scheduled to reach the ISS on Tuesday for a manual docking at the Poisk module.
  • Roscosmos reported that one KURS antenna failed to deploy after liftoff, and NASA said all other systems are working and the spacecraft remains on course.
  • ISS commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov will steer the approach using TORU, a remote control console inside the station that serves as the backup to the automated KURS system.
  • The freighter is delivering 2,509 kg of supplies, including 1,211 kg of dry cargo, 828 kg of propellant, 420 liters of water, and 50 kg of oxygen, and it is expected to remain for about six months before a controlled reentry over the South Pacific.
  • Sunday’s flight was the first from Baikonur’s repaired Site 31/6 since a November 2025 accident damaged the pad, and a refurbished 1970s platform now supports Russia’s Soyuz and Progress launches to the ISS.