Russian Launch Pad Damaged During Soyuz Mission to ISS

A launch pad at Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome was damaged during the launch of the Soyuz MS-28 mission, which successfully transported two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) on March 14, 2024. The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, confirmed that the spacecraft docked with the ISS without incident. However, a post-launch inspection revealed “damage to several elements of the launch pad.”

Roscosmos reported that an assessment of the launch complex’s condition is currently underway. The agency stated that all necessary components for repairs are available and that the damage would be addressed “in the near future.” The launch pad plays a crucial role, housing support systems for the rocket and facilitating access for cosmonauts to their capsule.

Launch pads are designed to endure extreme conditions, including intense heat and vibrations during liftoff. Analysts indicated that repairs could take a week or longer. Such a delay would hinder Russia’s ability to conduct further missions to the ISS. According to analyst Georgy Trishkin, “In the worst case, this could seriously affect the rotation of crewed missions and cargo flights to the ISS.” Typically, crewed missions to the ISS are launched approximately every six months from Baikonur.

The Baikonur facility is the only launch pad utilized by Roscosmos for the ISS program. Commentator Vitaliy Egorov noted on Telegram that this situation marks a significant setback for Russia, stating, “In effect from this day, Russia has lost the ability to launch humans into space, something that has not happened since 1961.” He emphasized the urgency of either repairing the current launch pad or modernizing an alternative.

In addition to Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft, NASA has been using SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft for crew transport to the ISS. The three crew members aboard the recent mission join seven others already on the ISS, with three scheduled to return to Earth by December 8, 2024, according to NASA.

As the situation develops, the future of Russia’s human spaceflight program remains uncertain, particularly regarding upcoming missions and the long-term viability of the Baikonur launch complex.