“If the Baikonur Cosmodrome is disabled as suspected, Russia will have lost the ability to launch people into space for the first time since 1961.”
A 130-ton mobile maintenance platform was ripped from its housing and thrown into the flame trench during the November 27 Soyuz MS-28 launch, leaving Site 31 at Baikonur Cosmodrome out of service. The crew reached the ISS safely, but Russia’s only human-rated launch site now faces repairs that could take months to years. Drone footage shows the massive structure lying upside down roughly 65 feet below where it should be. The damage came after the spacecraft itself needed replacement due to a heat shield mishap during testing.