Baikonur launch pad restored and set for March 22 cargo flight

Russia has finished repairs to a damaged Baikonur launch pad and is preparing it for a March 22 Progress cargo launch to the International Space Station. Roscosmos said new equipment was installed at the service cabin complex and that the restoration met its winter deadline.

Russia has finished repairs to a damaged launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, its only site capable of sending crewed rockets into space. Roscosmos said the refurbishment included installing new equipment at the service cabin complex. The site is being prepared for a Progress cargo spacecraft launch to the International Space Station on March 22. The pad had been out of service since an unspecified mishap in late November that occurred during a launch to the ISS. Key facts: - Russia completed repairs to the damaged launch pad at Baikonur, Roscosmos announced. - New equipment was installed at the service cabin complex as part of the refurbishment. - The site is being readied for a March 22 Progress cargo mission to the International Space Station. - The launch pad was damaged in late November after an unspecified mishap during a launch. - Roscosmos chief Dmitry Bakanov said the restoration met the end-of-winter deadline the agency had set. - Baikonur is located in Kazakhstan and is leased by Russia, and it remains central to Moscow's human spaceflight activities. Summary: Restoring the launch pad removes a recent operational constraint and allows preparations for the scheduled March 22 Progress resupply flight to proceed. Officials noted the work met the stated winter timeline, and the site now returns to active use for upcoming missions.