Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Blazing a trail…of debris. Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft departs Russia’s Baikonur cosmodrome, leaving in its wake launch pad damage.
Image credit: Ivan Timoshenko/Roscosmos

With the launch on November 27 of Russia’s crewed Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS), it turned out there was more “blast” to their “blastoff,” so much so that the liftoff caused pad damage at Russia’s Baikonur cosmodrome.

The event happened after the rocket was well clear of the pad, so the crew was not in danger. But left in the wake of the booster sendoff was damage to the launch pad’s service cabin.

Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev, along with NASA astronaut Chris Williams, later docked to the ISS.

Pad repairs

Roscosmos, the lead Russian space agency, has noted that a pad repair work schedule has been drawn up and approved and is being strictly controlled.

A complete replacement kit for the service cabin on the #31 launch pad has arrived at Baikonur. Moreover, readiness for launch from that pad is now scheduled for the end of February 2026, according to a December 16 Roscosmos statement.

Eighteen heavy-duty vehicles carrying components and equipment for the restoration of the service cabin have arrived at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

Image credit: Roscosmos/Inside Outer Space screengrab

Two shifts

Roscosmos adds that more than 130 employees of Roscosmos enterprises are involved in the work, who, observing safety measures, are working in two shifts – from 8 a.m. to midnight.

“Work has begun on priming and painting the cabin components,” explains Roscosmos. “Once completed, they will be transported to the launch pad. Some equipment is already there. After priming and painting the parts, specialists will begin installing the cabin and conducting autonomous tests,” the Russian space agency explains.

Image credit: Roscosmos/Inside Outer Space screengrab

“The manned program continues,” says Roscosmos.

For more details, go to my recent Space.com posting – “Damaged launch pad: How long before Russia can send astronauts to the ISS again?” — at:

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/damaged-launch-pad-how-long-before-russia-can-send-astronauts-to-the-iss-again