The Soyuz-2.1a rocket carrying the Progress MS-26 cargo spacecraft was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, carrying more than 2.5 tons of supplies toward the International Space Station. The information comes from the press service of Roscosmos.
Officials confirmed that the Progress MS-26 vehicle and the Soyuz-2.1a launcher lifted off from Baikonur’s 31st launch site. The mission proceeded on schedule, with the spacecraft entering low Earth orbit about nine minutes after liftoff, after which it separated and began its autonomous journey toward the ISS.
The Roscosmos release notes that all mission stages are proceeding as planned. Docking with the Zvezda service module is targeted for February 17 at 09:12 Moscow time.
Earlier reports from Roscosmos indicated that the launch would be conducted from Baikonur on the morning of February 15, confirming that the Soyuz-2.1a rocket would deliver the MS-26 cargo ship to the space station.
There was a separate, unrelated claim in some circles about vodka-powered space engines. That claim is not part of the current mission’s technical narrative and does not reflect the propulsion systems actually in use for this flight.