Russia launches first rocket from repaired Baikonur launch pad

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, in this still image taken from video. Roscosmos/Handout via REUTERS

MOSCOW, March 22 (Reuters) - ⁠Russia launched a Soyuz rocket from a ⁠repaired launch pad at its Baikonur cosmodrome ‌in Kazakhstan on Sunday, restoring its capability to fly to the International Space Station for the first time since the ​launch pad was damaged last ⁠year.

At 1200 GMT, a ⁠Soyuz-2.1a rocket carrying the Progress MS-33 cargo spacecraft ⁠lifted off ‌and was placed into orbit, Russia's space agency said. The spacecraft is ⁠expected to dock with the International Space ​Station on ‌March 24.