Authorities say the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Russia\u2019s only launch site for crewed space missions, will be restored \u2018very soon\u2019.<\/p>\n
Published On 28 Nov 202528 Nov 2025<\/p>\n
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A Russian launch site in Kazakhstan was damaged during a spacecraft launch carrying Russian and American astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS), Moscow\u2019s space agency Roscosmos has said.<\/p>\n
The joint Russian-US Soyuz MS-28 mission<\/a>, carrying Roscosmos astronauts Sergey Mikaev and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and NASA astronaut Chris Williams, took off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 12:28pm Moscow time (09:27 GMT) on Thursday.<\/p>\n Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list<\/p>\n The spacecraft successfully docked later that day, the ISS announced in a social media post, and the crew was on board the station in good health.<\/p>\n But after inspecting the Baikonur Cosmodrome following the launch, Russia\u2019s state space agency confirmed that \u201cdamage to a number of elements of the launchpad\u201d had been detected.<\/p>\n \u201cAn assessment of the state of the launch complex is being conducted now,\u201d Roscosmos said.<\/p>\n \u201cAll the necessary reserve elements are there to restore it and the damage will be eliminated very soon,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n Russian space bloggers, however, have claimed that the damage to the Baikonur Cosmodrome \u2013 Russia\u2019s only launch site for crewed missions, located in the Russian-leased city of Baikonur in Kazakhstan \u2013 is more severe than authorities are claiming.<\/p>\n .@NASA<\/a> astronaut @Astro_ChrisW<\/a> and his two Roscosmos crewmates opened the Soyuz MS-28 hatch at 10:16am ET on Thanksgiving Day and joined Exp 73 crew. https:\/\/t.co\/NQ7pUizkO2<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 International Space Station (@Space_Station) November 27, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Immediately after the morning launch, Russian rocket launch analyst Georgy Trishkin claimed that \u201cthe service cabin [had] collapsed\u201d and part of the structures had fallen on launchpad 31, causing serious damage that could suspend operations for some time.<\/p>\n Russian space journalist Vitaly Egorov also drew attention to visible damage at the launch site that could be seen during the official broadcast.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the gas exhaust tray under the launchpad, there was some massive metal structure that should not have been there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Egorov added that if the Baikonur Cosmodrome is disabled as suspected, Russia will have \u201clost the ability to launch people into space\u201d for the first time since 1961.<\/p>\n The Soyuz crew is scheduled to spend 242 days at the ISS, returning to Earth in July 2026. Some 40 scientific experiments and two extravehicular activities will be conducted over the course of the eight-month mission.<\/p>\n Russia\u2019s space programme, once a source of national pride, has suffered from years of chronic underfunding and corruption scandals.<\/p>\n Despite an almost complete breakdown in relations between Moscow and Washington over the war in Ukraine, space continues to be one of the few remaining areas of US-Russia cooperation.<\/p>\n But despite continued cooperation, the US and other Western countries have ceased other partnerships with Roscosmos as part of the slew of sanctions<\/a> placed on Russia due to the war.<\/p>\n