Baikonur: Russia’s main launch facility for sending cosmonauts into space was damaged during the latest launch of a Soyuz capsule, prompting emergency repairs. The accident at the Baikonur cosmodrome will result in a suspension of all manned launches from the facility until further notice, officials said.
According to Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty, shortly after a Soyuz capsule carrying a three-man crew-Russians Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev, and American Christopher Williams-blasted off en route to the International Space Station, officials reported damage to the launch pad. The Russian space agency Roscosmos downplayed the seriousness of the damage, stating, “During the routine inspection of the launch pad after the launch, a number of elements were found to be damaged.” The agency assured that the problem will “be repaired in the near future.”
The Soyuz crew later arrived at the station without incident. Located in the windswept steppes of western Kazakhstan, and leased under a long-term contr
act, the venerable Baikonur complex is Russia’s only facility for sending people into orbit. It served an essential purpose as the primary facility for launching people and equipment for around a decade after the United States suspended its space shuttle program.
The importance of Baikonur has diminished in recent years as private space companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin have increased capacity and signed contracts with the US agency NASA to supply the station. Russia has several other launch facilities used mainly for sending satellites into space. More than a decade ago, the Kremlin approved the construction of an alternative launch complex in the Far Eastern region of Amur. However, that complex, called Vostochny, has been plagued by cost overruns and corruption scandals, and it is unclear when manned launches will begin there.
A NASA spokesman told RFE/RL that the agency was “aware Roscosmos is inspecting” the launch facility but referred further questions to the Russian space agency. “NASA coordinat
es closely with its international partners, including Roscosmos, for the safe operations of the International Space Station and its crew members,” the spokesman added.
Kazakh officials reported that part of the rocket from the Soyuz launch fell into a remote region not far from Baikonur, prompting alarm from local residents. Russia’s space program has been a point of friction in Kazakhstan for decades. The Soviet nuclear program-both atomic weapons and intercontinental rockets-was routinely tested in parts of northern Kazakhstan, spreading toxic fuels and radioactive materials over wide areas. In 2013, after a Proton-M carrier rocket exploded shortly after takeoff from Baikonur, Kazakhstan demanded nearly $90 million in compensation from Russia.