Russia accidentally destroys its only way of sending astronauts to space

RussiaThe country’s only crewed mission launch site suffered major damage following Thursday’s rocket launch.

According to the space agency, the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan will not be able to host launches until repairs are made. roscosmosThis marks the first time in decades that Russia has lost the ability to send humans into space.

The launch of the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft was otherwise successful, with none of the crew injured.

The three-person crew, including NASA astronaut Chris Williams and two Russian crew members, arrived safely at the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday evening.

Roscosmos shared launch images showing that part of the launch pad collapsed into the exhaust pit below as a result of the rocket explosion.

The space agency said that “damage was detected on some elements of the launch pad” after the launch.

“The status of the launch complex is currently being assessed,” Roscosmos told state media. “All necessary replacement components are available for restoration and the damage will be repaired in the near future.”

Independent He reached out to Roscosmos for more information.

Analysts have questioned the timeframe for repairing critical cables, sensors and other sections of the launch pad’s service section believed to have been destroyed.

“This is the only launch pad used by Roscosmos for the ISS program and was supposed to be used for future launches to the Russian Orbital Station,” Russian space commentator Vitaliy Egorov wrote on Telegram.

“In fact, as of today, 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 pad or modernize another one.”

The Soyuz crew will spend eight months on the ISS before returning to Earth in July 2026.

Russia is currently developing its own independent orbital outpost called the Russian Orbital Service Station (ROSS). Decommissioned in 2030.

The first ROSS module is planned to be released in 2027.