Rocket Part Found Near Zhezkazgan: Video Goes Viral, Ministry Responds

A video has appeared on social media showing a resident of a village near Zhezkazgan standing beside a large metal fragment lying in the steppe, Orda.kz reports.

In the footage, a man off-camera claims it is “the tail of a rocket that fell.”

The clip quickly drew concern online, with users questioning whether the object could pose a danger and whether it was linked to yesterday’s launch from Baikonur.

Just a day earlier, Roscosmos announced a successful launch of the Soyuz MS-28 crewed spacecraft. Now, the discovery has renewed debate over how close rocket stages are falling to inhabited areas and whether local residents might be at risk.

Ministry Responds

The Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development issued an official clarification today. Officials said the launch on November 27 at 14:27 Astana time proceeded normally and that the first stage fell in a designated impact zone in the Ulytau region, far from settlements.

Representatives from the Roscosmos State Corporation and environmental experts from Kazakhstan and Russia are working at the scene. Measurements and sampling are being conducted. According to preliminary data, no environmental damage has been detected,
 the department stated.

The ministry added that Soyuz MS-28 uses kerosene and liquid oxygen — fuels considered relatively safe — and that the fragments pose no radiation, chemical, or biological hazard.

The Launch

On November 27, the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft launched from Baikonur carrying cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev, along with NASA astronaut Christopher Williams.

Docking with the ISS was planned within two hours of launch.

The crew will spend 242 days in orbit, completing around 40 experiments and conducting two spacewalks. An AI system will also be tested on board to transcribe voice notes and generate flight reports.

The rocket bore hand-drawn artwork created by children undergoing cancer treatment from 40 regions of Russia and 14 other countries. The young artists were invited to Baikonur to watch the launch.

Over 3,000 guests attended — a record for the cosmodrome.

Original Author: Dinara Bekbolayeva