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Soyuz Crew Reaches ISS After Launch That Damages Baikonur Pad

Roscosmos is assessing damage to Baikonur's crewed launch pad, promising quick repairs.

Russian space agency says cosmodrome damaged after joint launch with US
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BAIKONUR, KAZAKHSTAN - APRIL 5: (EDITOR’S NOTE: This Handout image was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images’ editorial policy.) In this handout image supplied by NASA, the Soyuz rocket is seen as the service structure is closed around it at the launch pad at Site 31at the Baikonur Cosmodrome on April 5, 2025, Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Expedition 73 crewmembers: NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritskiy, are scheduled to launch aboard their Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft on April 8. (Photo by Joel Kowsky/NASA via Getty Images)
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Overview

  • NASA said Soyuz MS-28 docked automatically with the ISS’s Rassvet module at 7:34 a.m. ET after a fast, two-orbit rendezvous.
  • The crew—NASA’s Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikaev—begins an approximately 242‑day mission featuring more than 40 experiments and two spacewalks, including installing Sun‑Terahertz equipment to help predict solar flares.
  • To clear Soyuz’s approach corridor, controllers temporarily parked Northrop Grumman’s NG‑23 Cygnus on Canadarm2, with reberthing set for Dec. 1; the station’s population stands at 10 until the Soyuz MS‑27 trio departs Dec. 8.
  • Roscosmos confirmed “damage to several elements” of the Baikonur launch complex after liftoff and said an evaluation is underway with spare parts on hand and repairs expected soon.
  • Independent footage and reports indicate a movable service cabin collapsed into the flame trench at Site 31/6, and some analysts warn repairs could delay future crewed launches pending the extent of damage.