US EditionRussia Accidentally Destroys Its only Working Launch Pad as Astronauts Lift Off to ISS
The 8U216 maintenance cabin was dislodged by rocket thrust during Soyuz MS-28 launch, leaving Russia without a crew-capable pad for the ISS with repairs possibly taking two years.
- On November 27, 2025, Soyuz MS-28 launched from Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, carrying two Roscosmos cosmonauts and one NASA astronaut to the ISS, damaging Russia's only crewed-capable pad.
- During liftoff a pressure difference and one million pounds of thrust pulled the 144-tonne maintenance cabin out of its mooring and tossed it into the flame trench at Site 31/6.
- Drone footage and photos reportedly show the maintenance cabin upside down in the flame trench, and experts cited by NASASpaceflight say replacement could take two years.
- Roscosmos says the damage will be repaired shortly, but the Progress MS-33 launch scheduled for December 21 will likely be delayed, and the next crewed Soyuz MS-29 in July 2026 remains at risk.
- Baikonur, built in the late 1950s and leased to Russia for $115 million a year, is Russia's only crewed launch site, as Vostochny and Plesetsk cannot launch crewed Soyuz rockets, Jeff Manber said.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Russia Loses Launch Capability After Accident at Baikonur Cosmodrome
A severe accident at the Baikonur Cosmodrome involving a wrecked maintenance cabin has indefinitely delayed Russia's ability to launch crewed missions and payloads to the International Space Station (ISS).
International Space Station prepares for new commander, heads into final five years of planned operations
The International Space Station is pictured from the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft during a fly around of the orbiting lab that took place following its undocking from the Harmony module’s space-facing port on Nov. 8, 2021. Image: ESA / NASA / T. Pesquet After 25 years of continuous human presence, the International Space Station is heading into its final half decade of planned habitation. NASA and its international partners are planning to inte…
Damage to the Baikonur launchpad has left Russia unable to send people into space. Why doesn’t Roscosmos have a backup plan?
The launch of Soyuz MS-28 on November 27, 2025 On November 27, the Soyuz MS-28 carrying a crew of cosmonauts lifted off from Site 31 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, which Russia operates in Kazakhstan, on its way to the International Space Station. After the launch, scorched metal structures were discovered in the flame pit beneath the pad. It soon became clear that a crucial part of the launch system — a service cabin used by technicians to prepare…
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