Roscosmos - Soyuz 2.1b - Progress MS-35 - LS 31/6 - Baikonur, KAZ - September 16, 2026

Launch Date: September 16, 2026 Launch Time: 18:33 Baikonur Time, 1333 UTC, 15:33 CEST Launch Window: Instantaneous Status: Nominal orbit insertion, en route to the ISS for docking on September 19, 2026 Launch Provider: Roscosmos Rocket Manufacturer: RKK Energia Launcher System: Soyuz 2.1b Mission: Progress MS-35 (Progress 97 by NASA counting) Flight Number: 90 for Soyuz 2.1a type (1,700+ since first launch in 1966) Launch Location: Launch Site 31/6 - Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan Launch Inclination: Northeast Launch cost: $17,2 million (without payload, standard mission to LEO). Mission Cost of a Progress MS spacecraft: $12 million Rocket: Height: 51,38 m Payload to orbit: LEO 7,500 kg Lift-Off Thrust: 4,550 kilonewtons Fairing: Diameter 4,11 m - Height: 15,59 m Launch coverage of the Roscosmos Progress MS-35 (Progress 96) spacecraft to the International Space Station Soyuz‑2 (Russian: Союз‑2, lit. 'Union‑2', GRAU index: 14A14) is a series of Russian expendable medium-lift launch vehicles and the seventh major iteration of the Soyuz rocket family. Compared to its predecessors, Soyuz-2 features significant upgrades, including improved engines and a digital flight control system that enables launches from fixed platforms and supports larger payload fairings. Soyuz-2.1b retains the upgrades introduced with the 2.1a and while replacing the third-stage RD-0110 with the more efficient RD-0124, an oxygen-rich staged-combustion engine, the engine increases specific impulse from 326 to 359 seconds (3.20 to 3.52 km/s). Although maximum thrust was slightly reduced from 298 to 294 kilonewtons (67,000 to 66,000 lbf), extended burn time with the same propellant load improved overall performance. The enhanced third stage significantly increased payload capability. From the Baikonur Cosmodrome, payload capacity to low Earth orbit rose from approximately 7,430 kilograms (16,380 lb) for the 2.1a to 8,670 kilograms (19,110 lb) for the 2.1b. The Soyuz Rocket Family has completed over 1,900 to 2,000 launches (with specific tracked orbital launch databases recording over 1,180+ core designated Soyuz launches and upward of 1,700–1,900+ when counting the wider legacy R-7 Semyorka rocket family from which it derived) since its inaugural flight in November 1966 with a success rate of 97%. The Progress MS (Russian: Прогресс МС; GRAU: 11F615A61) is the latest version of the Russian Progress spacecraft series, first launched in 2015. The "MS" stands for "modernized systems", reflecting upgrades primarily focused on the communications and navigation subsystems. An evolution of the Progress M spacecraft, the Soyuz MS features minimal external changes, mainly in the placement of antennas, sensors, and thrusters. It is used by Roscosmos for cargo spaceflight missions. Progress MS-01 conducted its maiden flight on 21 December 2015, heading to the International Space Station (ISS). The launch is now NET September 16, 2026. The exact schedule and launch time will be updated. Hosted by NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas It is the 105th mission for the Soyuz 2.1b and the 6th mission for Roscosmos of 2026.