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Soyuz Crew Reaches ISS as Baikonur’s Only Crew Pad Suffers Major Damage

Imagery points to a collapsed service platform at Site 31, jeopardizing the next Progress launch.

Overview

  • Roscosmos confirmed damage to several launch pad components after Thursday’s liftoff and said spare parts are available for repair.
  • Post-launch imagery and reporting indicate a mobile service platform fell into the flame trench, with one source saying an unsecured roughly 20‑ton unit was expelled by the rocket’s exhaust.
  • Site 31 is the only Baikonur pad configured for crewed Soyuz and Progress missions and has been rendered unusable until repairs are completed.
  • Independent assessments cite repair timelines that could stretch up to two years, and reporting now views the December 19 Progress cargo mission as unlikely.
  • With Progress flights in doubt, ISS reboost and Russian segment support may lean more on SpaceX Dragon and Northrop Grumman Cygnus, and NASA has not yet commented on impacts.