Russia’s Only Launch Site for Crewed Rockets Destroyed

Russia’s only crewed-mission launch site suffered major damage following a rocket launch, Anthony Cuthbertson reported for The Independent the following day.

Roscosmos said that “damage to a number of elements of the launchpad was detected” and that assessments were underway. (Photo: Bill Ingalls NASA) 

The Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan will be unable to host launches until repairs are made, according to the space agency Roscosmos—the first time in decades that Russia has lost the ability to send people to space.

Roscosmos shared footage showing part of the launchpad collapsing into an exhaust trench as a result of the rocket’s blast.

The launch of the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft was otherwise successful, with none of the crew members injured.

The three-person crew—including NASA astronaut Chris Williams and two Russian crewmates—arrived safely at the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday evening.

Roscosmos said that “damage to a number of elements of the launchpad was detected” and that assessments were underway.

“All necessary backup components are available for restoration, and the damage will be repaired in the near future,” the agency told state media.

However, analysts questioned the optimistic timeline, noting that critical cabling, sensors, and sections of the service bay were likely destroyed.

“This is the only launchpad Roscosmos uses for the ISS program, and in the future it was supposed to be used for launches to the Russian Orbital Station,” Russian space commentator Vitaliy Egorov wrote on Telegram.