Progress MS-34 to launch from Baikonur for ISS cargo delivery

Date:
Sat, 25 Apr 2026 16:30:36 +0000

Description:
Two weeks after the CRS NG-24 mission launched cargo to the International Space Station (ISS), The post Progress MS-34 to launch from Baikonur for ISS cargo delivery appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

FULL STORY ======================================================================

Two weeks after the CRS NG-24 mission launched cargo to the International Space Station (ISS), another cargo ship is ready to fly to the orbital outpost. The Progress MS-34 spacecraft is scheduled to launch atop a Soyuz 2.1a rocket from Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, during an
instantaneous window on Saturday, April 25, at 22:21 UTC.



Progress MS-34, also known as Progress 95 by NASA, will fly on a northeast trajectory that will take the ship to a low-Earth orbit inclined 51.6 degrees to the equator, the same inclination as the ISSs orbit. The cargo ship will take a roughly 48-hour rendezvous path to the Station, with docking scheduled for Tuesday, April 28, at 00:00 UTC. The Progress ship will dock at the aft port of the Zvezda module on the Russian segment of ISS.

Prior to the launch of Progress MS-34, the Progress MS-32 spacecraft undocked from the same Zvezda aft port on Monday, April 20, at 22:08 UTC before conducting a destructive reentry into the atmosphere several hours later. As usual, the Stations crew loaded Progress MS-32 with trash for disposal ahead of its departure. The Progress 93 spacecraft, also known as Progress MS-32, conducts a reboost burn on Nov. 19, 2025. (Credit: NASA)

The 7,280 kg Progress MS-34 will carry over 2,500 kg of cargo to ISS, including food, fuel, water, sanitary supplies, oxygen, equipment, and experiments. Notably, the spacecraft is carrying a new Orlan spacesuit for
use by crewmembers during spacewalks from the Russian segment. See Also Progress MS-34 Updates ISS Section NSF Store

Spacewalks, also known as extra vehicular activities (EVA), are crucial to assembly and maintenance activities aboard both the United States and Russian segments of the orbiting complex. So far, the only EVA conducted on the Station in 2026 was US EVA-94, while the last EVA on the Russian segment took place on Oct. 28, 2025.

Like NASAs Extravehicular Mobility Unit spacesuit, the Orlan dates back to
the late 1970s. Starting in December 1977, the original Orlan suits were used during spacewalks from Soviet Salyut 6 and 7 stations. The Russian program inherited the basic Orlan design after the Cold War ended. NASA astronaut
John Phillips conducting an EVA in a Russian Orlan suit along with Roscosmos astronaut Sergei Krikalev during Expedition 11 on Aug. 18, 2005. (Credit: NASA/Sergei Krikalev)

More modern variants of Orlan served aboard the Mir station until 2001, and the Orlan-MKS is now used on ISS. The latest version of Orlan started service in 2017, and the suit aboard Progress MS-34 is the eighth MKS suit. The Orlan suit will likely stay in use until the Stations service life ends, now possibly in 2032.

The Progress MS-32 cargo ship also carries a number of experiments. One experiment involves the use of virtual reality goggles to monitor bodily reactions to weightlessness and how microgravity affects vision, the vestibular system, and spatial orientation.

Another experiment studies the effects of stress on the immune and nervous systems, while there is also an experiment investigating bone mass loss in space. Additional tests include a study of how microorganisms affect
materials aboard ISS, as well as an experiment to research and improve water regeneration methods. Progress MS-34 undergoes preparations for flight. (Credit: RSC Energia)

While Progress MS-34 is docked to Zvezda, it will conduct orbital reboost burns to keep the Station from losing orbital altitude, as well as
positioning the ISS for the arrival of visiting vehicles. While Progress
MS-33 is also docked to the Russian segment, its position on the Poisk module is not ideal for these burns.

The Progress MS-34 spacecraft is scheduled to spend roughly seven months docked to the Station before being loaded with trash and undocked. Like all other Progress missions to ISS before it, MS-34 will also burn up in a destructive reentry into Earths atmosphere. The current visiting vehicle arrangement on ISS as of April 23, 2026. Progress 94 is also known as
Progress MS-33. (Credit: NASA)

This flight is the second Progress mission of 2026, and the third Soyuz 2.1a launch of the year as well. Progress MS-34 will also be the second launch after Site 31/6 was repaired following serious damage incurred during the Soyuz MS-28 launch on Nov. 27, 2025, as well as the fourth launch for Roscosmos and eighth for Russia overall in 2026 so far.

The next cargo launch to the ISS is CRS-34, scheduled for May 12 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida aboard a Falcon 9. Following that, Progress MS-35, known as Progress 96 by NASA, is currently scheduled to
launch on June 16, while Soyuz MS-29, with Roscosmos Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina, along with NASAs Anil Menon on board, is set for July 14.

(Lead image: Progress MS-34 stands on the launch pad at Site 31/6 in
Baikonur prior to its launch. Credit: Artem Pylaev)

The post Progress MS-34 to launch from Baikonur for ISS cargo delivery appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .



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Link to news story:
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/04/progress-ms34/


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