Baikonur Launch Pad restored, clearing path for Progress MS-33 ISS Mission

NASASpaceflight reports that Baikonur's Site 31/6 has been repaired after the launch-site incident linked to the Soyuz MS-28 mission late last year, clearing the way for the Progress MS-33 cargo flight to the International Space Station on March 22. The crewed mission itself reached orbit safely, but damage at the pad created a quieter infrastructure problem that had to be fixed before normal traffic could resume from the site. The restoration turns that lingering question into a concrete readiness update.

That matters because Site 31/6 is part of the logistics chain behind Russian crew and cargo launches. A repair notice is not just maintenance trivia; it tells you a physical bottleneck has been removed and the next ISS resupply mission can move from recovery mode back toward execution. In a launch system, pad availability is often as important as rocket readiness.

The next checkpoint is straightforward and visible. If Progress MS-33 launches on time and reaches station cleanly, the repair story becomes a demonstrated return to service rather than just a statement that the site is ready again.