The Soyuz-U rocket launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome for the last time in history.

The Soyuz-U launch vehicle took off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome for the last time, almost 40 years after its first launch. She headed towards the International Space Station along with the Progress space truck to transfer about 2.5 tons of cargo to the astronauts. The space exploration agency NASA announced this on Twitter.

According to the plan, Soyuz-U is to deliver the Progress MS-05 cargo ship into orbit. On February 24, he will dock with the ISS, where he will be met by Russian cosmonauts Andrei Borisenko, Sergei Ryzhikov and Oleg Novitsky, two of their American colleagues and one European astronaut. On board the Progress there is fuel, water, food, oxygen and packages for the crew.

Mission Control Center confirmed to TASS that this is the last launch of the Soyuz-U launch vehicle in history. For subsequent launches, the Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle will be used.

The last launch of Soyuz-U and Progress was repeatedly postponed due to an accident in December 2016. Then the Progress MS-04 crashed , and its debris fell on the territory of Tuva.

Soyuz-U is the most massive rocket in the world astronautics. Since its creation in 1973, about 789 launches have been carried out, of which only 22 were recognized as emergency.