At 6:21 on April 26, Beijing time,Russia used a Soyuz 2.1a rocket to launch the Progress cargo spacecraft MS-34 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. It is expected to rendezvous and dock at the International Space Station 48 hours after launch.Prior to this, the previous further spacecraft MS-32 docked on the International Space Station had separated and re-entered and burned to make room.
The Progress spacecraft weighs 7.28 tons. This time it delivered more than 2.5 tons of supplies to the International Space Station, including food, fuel, water, sanitary supplies, oxygen, equipment and experimental loads.
It also carries a new Seahawk spacesuit for use by astronauts during extravehicular activities in the Russian module.
So far, the International Space Station has only conducted one extravehicular activity in 2026, and it was conducted by the United States. The last extravehicular activity of the Russian module was at the end of October 2025.
The history of the "Sea Eagle" space suit can be traced back to December 1977. It was originally used on the Soviet Union's Salyut 6 and Salyut 7 space stations. The improved version was used on the Mir space station.
The latest Seahawk-MKS model entered service in 2017. The eighth set sent this time should be used until the space station is retired, which is around 2032.
This is Russia’s eighth space launch in 2026, the third for the Soyuz 2.1a rocket, and the second for the Progress spacecraft.
This is also the second launch mission from the Baikonur Cosmodrome after it was severely damaged and repaired due to the Soyuz MS-28 launch on November 27, 2025.
