After the launch of the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, an emergency occurred that could paralyze Russian manned programs. Experts report that the structures of the launch infrastructure suffered significant damage. This is stated in the material of the publication Meduza, writes UNN.
Details
Rocket launch analyst Georgy Trishkin stated that immediately after the morning launch on November 27, “the service cabin collapsed,” and part of the structures fell under launch pad 31. According to him, the consequences could be critical, because this platform is the only one in Russia that allows launching manned missions to the International Space Station.
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Space popularizer Vitaly Egorov drew attention to details visible during the official broadcast: “In the gas exhaust tray under the launch pad, there was some massive metal structure that should not have been there.” He also emphasized the scale of the incident, noting: “In fact, from this day on, Russia lost the ability to launch people into space – this has not happened since 1961.”
According to Trishkin’s assessment, the damage makes the nearest launches of Soyuz and Progress spacecraft to the ISS impossible for an indefinite period. There is no official reaction from Roscosmos yet.
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