Russia Restores ISS Access with Baikonur Launch Pad Repair

MOSCOW - Russia has restored critical access to the International Space Station with the successful launch of a Soyuz rocket from its repaired Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

At 1200 GMT Sunday, a Soyuz-2.1a lifted off carrying the Progress MS-33 cargo spacecraft, which is set to dock with the ISS on March 24.

The launch pad had been out of service since November, when a prior Soyuz MS-28 liftoff-carrying two Russian cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut-caused significant damage. Though the crew arrived safely, Russia lost its only means of sending crewed or cargo missions to the station for months.

While Russia operates other cosmodromes and Baikonur hosts multiple pads, this site was uniquely equipped to handle Soyuz vehicles bound for the ISS.