Russia's Space Launchpad Suffered Serious Blast Damage, But Astronauts Were Unharmed
By Matthew Loh
Russia's only launchpad for crewed space missions, located in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, suffered severe damage during a rocket blastoff on Thursday. The incident occurred while three astronauts were sent into space, but none were harmed. Official footage from Roscosmos, Russia's space agency, showed part of the structure collapsing and falling into a large exhaust trench below. The service bay, a critical platform near the bottom of the launchpad, was dislodged as the Soyuz fired its booster engines, causing debris to fly up from the trench.
The Soyuz spacecraft, carrying two Russian astronauts and one NASA astronaut, Chris Williams, safely arrived at the International Space Station. Despite the damage, the launch itself was successful, and all astronauts are safe. Roscosmos confirmed the damage but did not specify the extent of the damage, stating that the launch complex's condition is being assessed and that necessary backup components are available for restoration.
The launchpad, known as Site 31/6, was built in the 1960s at the Baikonur spaceport, a Soviet-era facility leased from Kazakhstan. This spaceport has an alternative pad, Site 1 or Gagarin's Start, which was used for the world's first human spaceflight. However, Site 1 ceased operations in 2019, and Russia has announced plans to turn it into a museum. Russia is also building a new spaceport, the Vostochny Cosmodrome, but it is not yet ready for crewed launches.
The damage to Site 31/6 will disrupt operations at Russia's only launchpad for crewed space missions, raising concerns about the future of Russia's space program. The agency is working to assess the damage and restore the launch complex, but the timeline for repairs is uncertain.
