Russia's Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft successfully launched on November 27, carrying two Roscosmos cosmonauts and one NASA astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS). However, the routine mission was overshadowed by a launch pad collapse at Site 31/6 in Baikonur Cosmodrome.
According to reports, the structure's mobile maintenance cabin collapsed shortly after liftoff, sending photos of the damage flooding social media. Drone footage revealed the site's mobile maintenance cabin lying upside down in the flame trench. Roscosmos stated that the damage occurred due to "launch-related issues," and an inspection is currently underway.
The collapse has resulted in Russia being temporarily cut off from the ISS until repairs can be completed. Site 31/6, the only Russian launch site capable of launching astronauts and cargo to the ISS, is now out of commission. Despite this, the crew currently on board the ISS will not be stranded due to the delay.
The maintenance cabin is a massive structure weighing around 144 tons. It was placed beneath the rocket before launch with its lifting platforms in place. The team would then lower the platforms and move the maintenance cabin into an enclosed "nook" under the launch pad, where it could conduct final preparations. However, it appears that the cabin's locks were either not properly secured or failed to withstand the load, leading to the collapse.
RussianSpaceWeb.com reported that the incident likely occurred some moments after liftoff, with photos of the launch capturing no signs of failure. As the rocket launched, a pressure difference between the space beneath it and the enclosed area where the maintenance cabin was stored likely caused the structure to be pulled out of position and thrown into the flame trench.
Photos posted online show extensive damage to the maintenance cabin, suggesting that it may be beyond repair. Roscosmos will need to install a spare or build a new one before resuming launches at Site 31/6. The repairs are expected to take up to two years, with no clear timeline for when the site will reopen.
The collapse of the launch pad has raised concerns about Russia's ISS launch schedule. A critical cargo mission, Progress MS-33, scheduled to launch on December 21, may now be delayed. Additionally, a crewed Soyuz MS-29 mission set to launch in July 2026 could also be postponed due to the incident.
According to reports, the structure's mobile maintenance cabin collapsed shortly after liftoff, sending photos of the damage flooding social media. Drone footage revealed the site's mobile maintenance cabin lying upside down in the flame trench. Roscosmos stated that the damage occurred due to "launch-related issues," and an inspection is currently underway.
The collapse has resulted in Russia being temporarily cut off from the ISS until repairs can be completed. Site 31/6, the only Russian launch site capable of launching astronauts and cargo to the ISS, is now out of commission. Despite this, the crew currently on board the ISS will not be stranded due to the delay.
The maintenance cabin is a massive structure weighing around 144 tons. It was placed beneath the rocket before launch with its lifting platforms in place. The team would then lower the platforms and move the maintenance cabin into an enclosed "nook" under the launch pad, where it could conduct final preparations. However, it appears that the cabin's locks were either not properly secured or failed to withstand the load, leading to the collapse.
RussianSpaceWeb.com reported that the incident likely occurred some moments after liftoff, with photos of the launch capturing no signs of failure. As the rocket launched, a pressure difference between the space beneath it and the enclosed area where the maintenance cabin was stored likely caused the structure to be pulled out of position and thrown into the flame trench.
Photos posted online show extensive damage to the maintenance cabin, suggesting that it may be beyond repair. Roscosmos will need to install a spare or build a new one before resuming launches at Site 31/6. The repairs are expected to take up to two years, with no clear timeline for when the site will reopen.
The collapse of the launch pad has raised concerns about Russia's ISS launch schedule. A critical cargo mission, Progress MS-33, scheduled to launch on December 21, may now be delayed. Additionally, a crewed Soyuz MS-29 mission set to launch in July 2026 could also be postponed due to the incident.
Russia's got some serious issues with their tech & maintenance systems 
a launch pad collapse? that's just crazy talk! Site 31/6 is out of commission for TWO YEARS?! 
how much are they gonna have to shell out for repairs now? 
gotta wonder if this was even an accident or some kinda sabotage 
can't have cosmonauts relyin on a flimsy maintenance cabin 
hope the Progress MS-33 mission gets pushed back tho, dont wanna see any Russian cargo gettin delayed 
i mean what kinda maintenance crew can't even secure a 144 ton cabin properly?? 
this is just terrible... like how can u have an accident like that on day one of a routine mission? 
but at the same time, i feel bad for the poor ppl in baikonur cosmodrome who got hurt or affected by this accident 
maybe dey will learn from it & make sure somethin like dis never happens again 
. But two years is a looong time, and it's gonna impact all those space missions 
. And what if this delays Russia's chances of getting more astronauts to space? The world needs more humans in space 
like, literally upside down in the flame trench 
... and now they're out of commission till repairs can b done 
... and it looks like that means delays 4 their iss launch schedule 
so we'll jus hav 2 wait & see wut happens next 
on youtube and it made me think about how we spend like half our lives watching videos of animals doing cute stuff online lol anyway back to russia's launch issues... 2 years is such a long time to be out of commission i hope they get the repairs done ASAP so we can go back to seeing those cosmonauts up in space 
... just hope they can get things sorted out ASAP so we don't have to worry about the ISS crew being stranded in space 
... like, who needs a successful mission when you can have a collapsed launch pad? i mean, i guess it's not entirely their fault... they did say "launch-related issues"... but still, come on! Russia's only site for launching astronauts and cargo to the ISS is down. what are they gonna do, just sit around and twiddle their thumbs while space gets emptier by the minute? 
the russia cosmonauts and nasa astronaut are going to have to wait a bit longer to get back to the iss 