The Russian Progress MS-33 cargo spacecraft, launched on March 22, 2026, from Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard a Soyuz-2.1a rocket, faces a manual docking with the International Space Station due to a KURS automated rendezvous antenna failure. Roscosmos reported the issue on Telegram, noting one of two antennas did not deploy post-launch, though all other systems function normally and the vehicle remains on course for the Poisk module.
Engineers are troubleshooting the malfunction. If unresolved, Expedition 74 commander Sergei Kud-Sverchkov will use the TORU backup system from the Russian segment to guide docking, scheduled for 13:34 UTC on March 24, 2026. NASA confirmed the spacecraft’s nominal performance otherwise. Roscosmos stated cosmonauts are prepared for manual control, a procedure practiced in training.
Progress MS-33 carries over 2,500 kg of supplies, including food, fuel, water, and oxygen, for the ISS’s seven crew members: three Russian cosmonauts, three NASA astronauts, and French astronaut Sophie Adenot. The launch marked the return of Baikonur’s Site 31/6 pad, repaired after damage during Soyuz MS-28 in November 2025, restoring Russia’s sole facility for Soyuz and Progress ISS missions.
Progress MS-92 undocked from Poisk on March 16, 2026, enabling this docking. The spacecraft will stay attached about six months before deorbiting with waste.