Damage to Baikonur Launchpad
Roscosmos, Russia's space agency, confirmed on Thursday that the launchpad at Baikonur, Kazakhstan, known as Site 31/6, suffered serious blast damage. The damage occurred during the launch of a Soyuz spacecraft carrying two Russian cosmonauts and one NASA astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS). Footage showed part of the launchpad's service bay collapsing and falling into a large exhaust trench below, leaving charred remains visible in the facility's exhaust area. This platform housed critical cabling, sensors, and provided a work area for technicians near the rocket’s tail section.
Importance of Site 31/6 Launchpad
Site 31/6 is the only active launch facility Russia uses for crewed space missions, particularly for missions to the ISS. Built in the 1960s during the Soviet era, this launchpad is vital for Russia’s human spaceflight operations. The damage represents a significant setback, with the risk that Russia could lose its ability to send humans to space if the launchpad remains out of operation for an extended period. Russian experts and space enthusiasts have expressed concerns that the damage may be more severe than officially acknowledged, indicating potentially long disruptions.
Impact and Future Outlook
Russian space journalist Vitaly Egorov noted visible destruction at the launch site in official footage, observing that a large metal structure was out of place in the exhaust gas tray beneath the launchpad. The situation is critical since Russia relies on this pad not only for ISS missions but also for future launches to the Russian Orbital Station. Immediate repairs or upgrades are necessary to restore Russia’s human spaceflight capabilities, which have been continuous since 1961.
Operational Status
Roscosmos indicated that an evaluation of the launch complex’s condition is underway. Although the launch itself proceeded smoothly and the Soyuz craft successfully docked with the ISS, the damage needs thorough assessment and restoration plans to resume normal operations. The official messaging emphasizes the efforts to restore the facility "very soon," but no exact timeline has been provided.
"This is the only launch pad Roscosmos employs for the ISS program, and it was also intended for future launches to the Russian Orbital Station. Effectively, from this day forward, Russia has lost its capability to send humans into space, a situation that hasn’t occurred since 1961. It will be crucial to promptly repair this launch pad or upgrade another one." — Vitaliy Egorov, space journalist
Russia's sole launch pad for crewed space missions at Baikonur has suffered severe blast damage, risking a significant pause in the country's human spaceflight capability unless rapid repairs are made.
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