Severe Accident Destroys Russia’s Ability to Launch Astronauts Into Space
Victor Tangermann
created: Dec. 1, 2025, 3:19 p.m. | updated: Dec. 11, 2025, 2:59 p.m.
A botched Soyuz launch has dealt significant damage to Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome spaceport in Kazakhstan, leaving the nation without the ability to launch astronauts to the International Space Station until repairs are completed.
Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, later confirmed “damage to a number of elements of the launchpad,” in a statement.
As NASASpaceflight points out, the Baikonur Cosmodrome is Russia’s only certified launch site for crewed missions to space.
Two similar cabins that were recently produced for other Soyuz launch complexes took two years to complete.
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