
A launch pad at Russia’s main space complex was damaged during Thursday’s launch of a mission carrying two Russians and an American to the International Space Station, Moscow’s space agency announced.
The Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft successfully docked with the space station and the three crew members had boarded, Roscosmos said.
But a post-launch inspection at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan revealed “damage to several elements of the launch pad,” according to a statement from Roscosmos, which still uses the space facility in its former Soviet neighbor.
“An assessment of the condition of the launch complex is currently underway,” it said, adding that all parts needed to repair the pad are available.
“The damage will be repaired in the near future.”
The launch pad contains support systems for the rocket and a structure that allows cosmonauts to access their capsule as it sits atop a Soyuz rocket.
Launch pads must be capable of withstanding extreme heat, air pressure and vibrations as a rocket takes flight.
Russian analysts said repairs to the launch pad could take a week or longer. And any lengthy delay could leave Russia unable to launch missions to the space station, they said.
“In the worst case this could seriously affect the rotation of crewed missions and cargo flights to the ISS,” analyst and blogger Georgy Trishkin wrote on Telegram.
Typically, ISS crew are launched roughly every six months from Baikonur.
“This is the only launch pad Roscosmos uses for the ISS program, and in the future it was supposed to be used for launches to the Russian Orbital Station,” commentator Vitaliy Egorov wrote on Telegram.
“In effect from this day Russia has lost the ability to launch humans into space, something that has not happened since 1961. Now it will be necessary to quickly repair this launch table or modernize another one,” Egorov wrote.
Besides Russia’s Soyuz craft, NASA uses SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft to take crew to the ISS.
The three men aboard the mission that lifted off Thursday join seven other crew already orbiting on the ISS.
Three are scheduled to return to Earth by December 8, according to NASA.
For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
NEUESTE BEITRÄGE
- 1
Fossils unearthed in Morocco are first from little-understood period of human evolution07.01.2026 - 2
The 2026 'Super Bowl of Astronomy' starts today — here's what's happening05.01.2026 - 3
Hundreds show fascist salute at rally in Rome in annual ritual07.01.2026 - 4
Hostile to Maturing Skincare Items to Rejuvenate Your Skin05.06.2024 - 5
The Most Notable Design Brands of the 21st Hundred years07.07.2023
Ähnliche Artikel
'Stranger Things' Season 5: When does Volume 2 come out? And Volume 3? Everything to know about the remaining episodes before the finale.01.12.2025
Europe’s EV Boom Was Real in 2025. The Real Fight Starts In 202631.12.2025
Haifa refinery said hit in latest Iranian missile barrage30.03.2026
Pick Your Favored kind of soup06.06.2024
Unraveling the Specialty of Picking Your Ideal Travel Objective05.07.2023
Five held on suspicion of planning attack on German Christmas market13.12.2025
Optimal Beauty Parlor Medicines for Upgraded Wellbeing and Appearance05.06.2024
Israel’s 'Stonehenge’ not alone with near 30 similar sites, satellite imagery reveals28.03.2026
How did this 20-light-year-wide 'Diamond Ring' form in space? Maybe a cosmic bubble burst21.11.2025
Struggling to keep your New Year's resolutions? Here's how to keep yourself on track10.01.2026














