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2d ago

Baikonur Pad Damage Halts Crewed Soyuz Launches

NASA reports the station retains reboost and attitude control, with repair timing for the service platform still unclear.

Una nave espacial Soyuz despegando del cosmódromo de Baikonur, en Kazajistán, el 27 de noviembre. El cohete se dirigió al espacio sin problemas, pero el escape del cohete derribó una plataforma de servicio de su refugio protector. Crédito: Pavel Mikheyev/Reuters.
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El lanzamiento de la nave espacial Soyuz lanzada desde Kazajstán hacia la EEI

Overview

  • Roscosmos confirmed damage to the Soyuz launch complex at Baikonur Site 31/6 after the Nov. 27 liftoff that sent three crew members to the International Space Station.
  • Imagery shows a heavy service platform was pushed from its shelter by exhaust and fell into the flame trench, which experts say left it heavily damaged.
  • With Vostochny and Plesetsk not configured for crewed Soyuz flights to the ISS, Russia currently lacks an operational site to launch astronauts.
  • Analysts estimate repairs could take months to more than a year, and fabrication of a new platform could take longer, while NASA says station operations remain supported for now.
  • Separately, Roscosmos replaced Oleg Artémiev on a planned SpaceX Crew Dragon mission, and a Russian analyst alleges he photographed internal SpaceX materials, an assertion not confirmed by the agencies involved.