Baikonur: Damage Reported at Launch Pad 31 After Soyuz MS-28 Liftoff

According to multiple Russian space-industry sources, the November 27, 2025, launch of the Soyuz MS-28 crewed spacecraft led to structural damage of the service cabin at Launch Pad 31 — currently the only pad used for ISS missions, Orda.kz reports.

The site has supported Russia’s ISS program since 2018 and was expected to service future flights to the planned Russian orbital station. The Baikonur launch pad may require emergency repairs or modernization.

Roscosmos has confirmed damage to “several launch pad elements,” stating that specialists are still assessing the overall condition of the complex.

Pad 31 was built in 1958 — initially intended as a combat ICBM site before being repurposed for space operations. Across decades of upgrades and redesigns, it has hosted around 500 launches, including manned missions.

Today, Baikonur remains the central operational hub for Russia’s crewed program. Pad 81, once used for Proton-M launches, has been mostly decommissioned due to heptyl-fuel toxicity restrictions, while the joint Kazakh-Russian Baiterek project plans to launch the Soyuz-5 from December.

Original Author: Correspondent