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Russia Restores Baikonur’s Site 31, Sets Progress Cargo Launch for March 22

The restored pad preserves Russian access to the International Space Station.

Overview

  • Roscosmos said repairs to the damaged service cabin were completed ahead of schedule following intensive winter work at Launch Site 31/6.
  • TsENKI and contractors replaced electrical systems and fasteners, carried out extensive welding and painting, and installed 19-meter components weighing about 17 tons.
  • Progress MS-33 is scheduled to launch on March 22 at 7:59 a.m. EDT from Baikonur, delivering about 2.5 tons of propellant, water, and food to the ISS.
  • The maintenance cabin’s collapse during a Soyuz launch in November 2025 remains unexplained, though the incident did not affect the crew’s flight or arrival.
  • Site 31 is Russia’s only pad for Soyuz and Progress missions since Site 1 was decommissioned, as ISS partners increasingly use commercial vehicles such as SpaceX Dragon for crew and cargo.