Progress ms-33 manually docks at iss after antenna malfunction

Russian cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov successfully manually docked the Progress MS-33 cargo ship to the International Space Station (ISS) on March 24, 2026. The spacecraft, carrying 2.7 tons of supplies, had to rely on the Toru system for manual docking due to a malfunction with its Kurs navigation antenna. This marked the ISS's first manual docking since 2015.

Iss welcomes progress ms-33 amid busy orbital schedule

The cargo ship delivered vital supplies, including food, water, air, maintenance materials, and scientific experiment components, as well as fuel, water, and gases, which transferred automatically to the station through its internal systems. The delivery also marked the return to service of Russia's Baikonur Cosmodrome Launch Pad 31/6, which had been out of commission since Soyuz MS-28's November 27 launch.

Progress MS-33's arrival coincided with other orbital activity, including the ESA's Sophie Adenot's εpsilon mission and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's HTV-X1 cargo ship beginning its independent mission. The ISS remains a hive of activity as it prepares for the installation of its final solar array panel and welcomes new crew members.