Soyuz 2.1b – Progress Rocket Space Center Family: Soyuz Length: 46.3 meters Diameter: 2.95 meters Launch Mass: 312 Low Earth Orbit Capacity: 8200 The Soyuz 2.1b was manufactured by Progress Rocket Space Center with the first launch on . Soyuz 2.1b has 9 successful launches and 0 failed launches with a total of 9 launches. Soyuz-2 is the 21st-century version of the Russian Soyuz rocket. In its basic form, it is a three-stage carrier rocket for placing payloads into low Earth orbit. The 2.1b version adds an upgraded engine (RD-0124) with improved performance to the second stage. Manufacturer Progress Rocket Space Centre, formerly known as TsSKB-Progress, is a space science and aerospace research company which is known for manufacturing launch vehicles and satellites. Most notably, Progress Rocket Space Centre is the manufacturer of Soyuz launch vehicles. Progress Rocket Space Center is a Commercial RUS entity that was founded in 1996 and is administered by Dmitry Baranov. Progress Rocket Space Center has 164 successful launches and 7 failed launches with a total of 171 launches.