Soyuz MS-28 damages Baikonur crewed‑launch pad, threatens Russia's ISS launch cadence

A Soyuz MS-28 launch on Nov. 27, 2025 damaged the Baikonur crewed‑launch pad; footage shows the service gantry falling into an exhaust trench. The damage to Russia's sole operational site for Soyuz and Progress missions jeopardizes upcoming ISS crew rotations and cargo launch cadence.

Discovered 2025-11-27T11:24:36.864229-08:00 | 2025-11-27T11:24:36.864229-08:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

  • Damage to Baikonur’s crewed‑launch complex after the Nov. 27 Soyuz MS-28 liftoff jeopardizes Russia’s only operational site for Soyuz and Progress missions, risking delays to future crew rotations and cargo launches. See the MS-28 launch context here: https://hype.aero/?story=1d032aa1-ee86-481c-85ac-6e653e4bcf94

  • Soyuz MS-28 nonetheless delivered three crew to the ISS, bringing station population to ten, but the pad damage creates immediate operational uncertainty for follow‑on flights and logistics manifests. Context on the arrival: https://hype.aero/?story=1d032aa1-ee86-481c-85ac-6e653e4bcf94

  • The incident amplifies strategic pressure on Russia’s launch infrastructure as Moscow attempts to sustain and commercialize domestic launch options (including revived Soyuz variants); a compromised Baikonur increases reliance on limited alternatives. Relevant background: https://hype.aero/?story=e6191ecd-98ff-44cf-96f2-ef44ed532144

Reported By

Satellite News Network Leonard David Space.com spaceconomy360.it themoscowtimes.com New York Times
Sources Tracked
36
First Seen
2025-11-27T11:24:36.864229-08:00
Latest Update
2025-12-04T12:06:34.421981-08:00
Coverage
Space

Sources

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