Russia Successfully Launches Soyuz Rocket From Repaired Baikonur Launchpad, but a Glitch in the Cargo Spaceship May Force Cosmonaut to Manually Dock It on the ISS
Russian Soyuz rocket, photo by NASA-GCTC-Andrey Shelepin/Wiki Commons
Space exploration is a difficult and often dangerous undertaking. Even routine missions can face unexpected challenges.
On November 27, 2025, an accident severely damaged Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome during a rocket launch. After several months of repairs, the Russian space agency Roscosmos has now successfully returned the facility to operation. A Soyuz rocket carrying an uncrewed Progress cargo spacecraft launched from Baikonur, heading toward the International Space Station.
However, the success of the launch was quickly followed by a complication that could make the mission more challenging.
According to media reports, today, a service cabin crashed at Baikonur Cosmodrome during launch towards the International Space Station.
According to various sources and experts, this incident has left Russia unable to launch astronauts into space – for the first time since… pic.twitter.com/C6b0O9fiVU
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) November 27, 2025
🇷🇺 Soyuz spacecraft crew ARRIVES at the ISS
American astronaut Christopher Williams is first through the hatch, followed by Russian cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev
Smiles and hugs all round – and some very expensive camera equipment floating in zero gravity https://t.co/or5KPDi0iX pic.twitter.com/SXc4kk45Ug
— RT (@RT_com) November 27, 2025
Russian rocket successfully launches from Baikonur
The Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle, carrying the Progress MS-33 cargo spacecraft, is now heading toward the ISS
On board: about 2.5 tons of cargo — including 52 kg of scientific equipment and 12 kg of medical supplies pic.twitter.com/bWymxCQfmS
— RT (@RT_com) March 22, 2026
According to Space.com, the Soyuz rocket carrying the Progress 94 cargo spacecraft lifted off from the Russia-operated Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Sunday at 7:59 a.m. EDT. The launch itself proceeded without issue. Shortly after separating from the rocket, however, the Progress spacecraft experienced a technical problem when one of the antennas required for automatic docking failed to deploy.
Despite the malfunction, officials say the spacecraft remains on course for the International Space Station. NASA reported that all other systems are operating normally, and the spacecraft is continuing toward its planned docking time of 9:34 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, March 22. Engineers are continuing to troubleshoot the antenna problem.
If the antenna cannot be deployed, a backup plan is in place. Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov is prepared to manually guide the spacecraft during the rendezvous and docking process using a secondary system.
LIVE: A Roscosmos cargo spacecraft carrying food, fuel, and supplies is about to launch to the @Space_Station. The uncrewed Progress 94 craft is scheduled to lift off at 7:59am ET (1159 UTC). https://t.co/uIjOMqVcDE
— NASA (@NASA) March 22, 2026
The Progress 94 spacecraft is carrying about three tons of cargo, including food, propellant, and other supplies for the astronauts and cosmonauts currently aboard the International Space Station.
The cargo capsule is expected to dock with the station’s Poisk module on Tuesday morning.
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