US EditionRussia Loses Crewed Spaceflight Ability After Baikonur Pad Damaged
Damage to Baikonur's Site 31/6 launch pad during Soyuz MS-28 liftoff will temporarily halt Russian crewed missions, with repairs expected soon, 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 pad damaged in Soyuz launch to ISS
The Baiknour pad used for the launch of the latest crew to the ISS has sustained damage, raising questions about its ability to support upcoming missions to the station. The post Baikonur pad damaged in Soyuz launch to ISS appeared first on SpaceNews.
During a rocket launch, a facility at the Baikonur space station has been severely damaged. Until repair, Russia cannot carry any spacemen, for the first time in more than 60 years.
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.
The only Russian launch area capable of hosting Soyuz rockets suitable for manned flights, located in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, suffered undetermined damage during the take-off of the MS-28 mission to the ISS on Thursday, 27 November.
The Russian space agency reported that the launch ramp of the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan had suffered damage during the last launch on Thursday evening, a situation that is worrying for its future.
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