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On November 27th, Russia's Baikonur Cosmodrome experienced a severe accident that has suspended Russia's ability to launch payloads and crews to space. Shortly after the Soyuz-MS28 mission launched at 09:27:57 UTC (4:27:57 a.m. EST; 1:27:57 a.m. PST) from Site 31/6 at the launch center, drone footage showed that the 8U216 mobile maintenance cabin was lying upside down in the flame trench. Fortunately, the launch was successful and the crew it carried - cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev, and NASA astronaut Christopher Williams - arrived safely at the International Space Station (ISS) a few hours later.
Nevertheless, the collapse of this maintenance cabin means Russia's only launch site capable of launching missions to the ISS is out of service. While other launch facilities exist in Russia, such as the Plesetsk Cosmodrome near Archangel (northern Russia), the Vostochny Cosmodrome in far-eastern Russia, or Gagarin's Start at Baikonur, they are either incapable of reaching the ISS, unable to fulfill crew-launch capability, or unable to conduct launches at all. As a result, Russia is temporarily unable to launch either crews and payloads using Soyuz and Progress spacecraft (respectively) to the ISS for the time being.
In a statement issued via Telegram, Roscosmos acknowledged the accident while emphasizing the success of the mission:
The space rocket launched without incident. The spacecraft successfully docked with the International Space Station. The crew is on board and in good health. The launch pad was inspected, as is done before every rocket launch. Damage to several launch pad components was identified. Damage can occur after launch, so such inspections are mandatory worldwide. The condition of the launch pad is currently being assessed. All necessary spare components are available for repair, and the damage will be repaired shortly.
*Drone footage of Site 31/6 before (above) and after (below) launch, showing the damage to the maintenance cabin. Credit: Katya Pavlushchenko via X*
The 8U216 is a mobile, metal platform weighing over 130 metric tons (144 US tons) that is extended beneath the launch pad during launch preparations, including engine inspection, removal of protective covers, and the installation of the "matches" (pyrotechnic devices). The structure was originally manufactured during the 1960s, and similar service cabins are still being manufactured for other Soyuz launch complexes in Russia today. According to the launch crew report, the pre-launch preparations were completed without incident, and the cabin was returned to its nook afterwards.
However, post-launch inspections showed that the launch caused pressure differences between the space under the launch pad and the nook where the maintenance cabin is located. This pulled the service cabin out of the nook and threw it into the flame trench, roughly 20 meters (65.5 ft) below. The inspections also showed that the cabin may not have been properly fixed in place, or the locks holding it in place failed. Some experts have stated that the damage to the maintenance cabin was too extensive to repair, and it will either need to be replaced or rebuilt entirely.
As Roscosmos indicated, the necessary parts are available in Russia, and NASASpaceFlight recently noted that sources in the Russian space industry have confirmed this. The space agency could also opt to dismantle the maintenance cabin from Site 43 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, which consists of two launch pads that have been launching R7 rockets since the 1960s. There is no consensus on when Site 31 will be operational again, but estimates range from several months to three years.
This range in estimates comes down to two things: 1) the assumption that the cabin will need to be replaced, and 2) whether other components were damaged in the accident and also need to be repaired/replaced. This second item alone will require several months of inspection, and Roscosmos will need to perform a least one uncrewed launch once the maintenance cabin is replaced. In any case, this accident means that certain planned missions will have to be postponed. This includes the Progress MS-33 cargo launch scheduled for Dec. 21st, 2025, and could delay the next crewed mission to the ISS, MS-29, scheduled for July 14th, 2026.
*The maintenance cabin at Site 31/6. Credit: TyazhMash/NASASpaceflight.com*
Due to the aforementioned limitations of its other facilities, Roscosmos will not be able to shift its flights to other launch sites. And so, Roscosmos has no recourse but to replace the maintenance cabin entirely and will have to postpone all crewed flights to the ISS for the time being. In the meantime, they may attempt to launch Progress cargo craft from their Vostochny Cosmodrome, but extensive changes will be needed before this can happen. Russia can no longer launch crewed craft from the Korou Cosmodrome after Roscosmos withdrew its personnel from the European Spaceport in French Guiana.
The Baikonur Cosmodrome is no stranger to severe accidents, and this is hardly the worst it has ever seen. That "honor" goes to the Nedelin catastrophe, which occurred on Oct. 24th, 1960, during the testing of a R-16 intercontinental ballistic missile, when the accidental ignition of its second-stage engines caused the missile to explode. With more than 54 reported casualties (which were not disclosed until decades later), this remains the deadliest disaster in the history of spaceflight.
Nevertheless, a disruption in launch capability is something Roscosmos could do without right now. Since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has faced international sanctions that have impacted Roscosmos considerably. Aside from the many commercial contracts the agency has lost, there is also the termination of cooperative agreements to develop scientific instruments and technical support. On top of that, Roscosmos has either cancelled or had international partners withdraw from several lucrative joint ventures.
This includes the *ExoMars 2020* mission, a joint venture with the ESA, and the Venera-D Venus mission, a planned collaboration with NASA. Roscosmos has also lost the launch service contracts it had for four ESA missions: the *Galileo M10 and M11* navigation satellites, the Euclid space telescope, and the Earth Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) satellite. Initially, these missions were to be launched using Soyuz rockets, but have since been transferred to other launch providers with international partners.
Further Reading: NASASpaceflight
