Soyuz

The Temporary Public Domain Occupancy Agreement allows MaiaSpace to begin dismantling Soyuz-specific infrastructure and to start construction of modifications needed to launch Maia rockets from the site.

The Soyuz launch facility in French Guiana has been abandoned since 2022 after the European Space Agency cut ties with Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.

MaiaSpace expects to reuse up to 80% of the existing infrastructure at the former Soyuz site, including the integration building, railway, liquid oxygen storage and refueling facilities, and the flame trench.

MaiaSpace expects to host the inaugural flight of the Maia rocket from the former Soyuz facility in 2027.

Mike Fincke flew on Soyuz/Expedition 9 in 2004, Soyuz/Expedition 18 in 2009, and shuttle mission STS-134 in 2011.

A life-sized Soyuz model at Kourou is being used to test the rails that will carry MaiaSpace's rocket to its future launchpad.

Russia launched Soyuz rockets from the Kourou launch site in French Guiana between 2011 and 2022.

The Maia rocket launching system will have no use for the existing Soyuz gantry.

By the time the Soyuz MS-28 rocket launched, Jared Isaacman had been nominated by the White House to assume the role of NASA administrator.

The next crewed Soyuz mission is Soyuz MS-29 and it will carry Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina and NASA astronaut Anil Menon.

If Jared Isaacman attends the Soyuz MS-29 launch, he would be the first NASA administrator to witness a Soyuz launch in person since October 2018.

Jared Isaacman intends to attend the next crewed Soyuz launch to the International Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome scheduled for the northern summer.

Jim Bridenstine attended the Soyuz MS-10 launch in October 2018, a mission that experienced an in-flight abort but whose crew survived after activating the launch escape system.

Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev arrived at the International Space Station in a Soyuz spacecraft in November 2025 and have been on the orbital laboratory since then.

NASA astronaut Christopher Williams and Roskosmos cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Swertschkow and Sergej Mikajew have been aboard the ISS since arriving on a Soyuz spacecraft in November 2025.

A Soyuz-2.1b launch from Plesetsk cosmodrome deployed nine payloads.

The Russian Ministry of Defense conducted a successful launch of a Soyuz-2.1b launch vehicle from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome on February 6, 2026 at 21:59 Moscow Time (18:59 UTC).

The Soyuz-2.1b launched from Plesetsk was carrying spacecraft for the Russian Ministry of Defense.