Russian Launch Site Damaged Post Soyuz Mission to ISS
Soyuz MS-28 Mission Successfully Reaches ISS Despite Launch Pad Damage The Soyuz MS-28 mission, which saw a Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying two cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut successfully dock with the International Space Station (ISS), faced an unexpected challenge during its launch. The launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan was damaged after the mission lifted off, raising concerns about future operations at the site. Russia's space agency, Roscosmos, confirmed that "damage to a number of elements of the launch pad was detected" following the launch. The agency stated that repairs would be carried out as quickly as possible. However, some Russian space bloggers have expressed concerns that the damage could lead to delays in future launches, especially since Baikonur is Russia’s only manned-mission site. Despite these challenges, the Soyuz spacecraft reached the ISS safely on Thursday. The crew includes Russian cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Ser...