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Russia Loses Crewed Spaceflight Ability After Baikonur Pad Damaged
Damage to Baikonur's only active crewed Soyuz launch pad was caused by rocket exhaust and falling debris, risking delays to Russian human spaceflight, Roscosmos said.
- On Thursday, a Soyuz spacecraft docked with the International Space Station after the Soyuz 2.1a rocket lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 12.28pm Moscow time.
- An inspection of the Baikonur launch area found damage, Roscosmos said, reporting damage to several Baikonur launch pad elements with an assessment of the launch complex under way and reserve elements available to restore it soon.
- The incoming crew includes Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, Sergey Mikaev and NASA's Chris Williams, with Williams and Mikaev on their first spaceflights and the trio expected to spend eight months aboard the ISS.
- Roscosmos said the pad would be repaired quickly with reserve parts available, but some Russian space bloggers warned the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch site may be unusable soon, risking future crewed launches and ISS rotations.
- Maintaining ISS access matters for station operations and international ties, as Roscosmos said the arriving crew are on board and in good health, preserving current cooperation with NASA.
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Baikonur launch pad damaged after Russian Soyuz launch to International Space Station
A Russian Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft with two Russian cosmonauts and one NASA astronaut on board successfully docked with the International Space Station on Thursday, Russian space agency Roscosmos said.
·United Kingdom
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It will take six months to two years to repair Baikonur.
While three astronauts safely reach the ISS, Russia's space travel may suffer a severe blow – with potentially far-reaching consequences.
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Total News Sources59
Leaning Left15Leaning Right6Center21Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Center
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
50% Center
L 36%
C 50%
14%
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