Russia’s launch pad at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan suffered severe damage after a Soyuz launch failed last week.
Although the crew of the Soyuz MS-28 rocket, including cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikaev, as well as NASA astronaut Christopher Williams, arrived safely at the International Space Station, the launch pad was severely damaged in the process. Drone footage shows the platform’s mobile maintenance cabin upside down in a flame trench, experts tell us NASA space flight Repairs can take months or even years.
This is a major setback because the damaged launch pad is Russia’s only certified launch site for manned space missions.
NASA has now acknowledged the incident. Despite tensions between the United States and Russia, the space agency has worked closely with Roscosmos to staff the International Space Station. Aside from Russia’s Soyuz capsules, the only currently available method of transporting astronauts to orbital outposts is SpaceX’s Dragon capsule.
“Following the Nov. 27 launch of Soyuz MS-28 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, NASA became aware that Roscosmos was inspecting Launch Pad 6 at Site 31,” a NASA spokesperson said. futuristic in a statement. “NASA works closely with international partners, including Roscosmos, to ensure the safe operation of the International Space Station and its crew.”
The agency also confirmed that the MS-28 crew “arrived safely at the space station” after launch, but did not elaborate on whether the incident would affect any future crewed missions, noting futuristic Contacted Roscosmos, the company had not responded by press time.
In a statement posted on Telegram on November 27, Roscosmos confirmed that “multiple elements of the launch pad were damaged.”
“All necessary reserve elements are in place to repair it and the damage will be resolved quickly,” the agency added.
Despite initial optimism, the failed launch could shake up NASA and Roscosmos’ plans to keep the International Space Station operational four years ahead of scheduled retirement. A future replenishment mission for the cargo ship Progress has been postponed from December 21 to sometime next year. Soyuz’s next crewed mission is currently scheduled for July 2026.
Russia’s willingness to continue operations from the aging outpost has been shaky, especially after the country’s invasion of Ukraine severely strained relations between the two countries. In late 2024, former Roscosmos chief Yuri Borisov confirmed that Russia would support the operation until at least 2028, in contrast to threats by his predecessor Dmitry Rogozin to abandon it.
“How committed is the Russian leadership to repairing the launch pad and continuing to contribute to the International Space Station program?” Voyager Technologies senior official Jeff Manber told new york times. “It will be very interesting to see their reaction.”
More information about the incident: Serious accident destroys Russia’s ability to send astronauts into space
