Damage to Baikonur cosmodrome could halt Russian manned space program for two years

During the launch of Russia's Soyuz MS-28 to the International Space Station on November 27, the service tower collapsed. The country's state space agency Roscosmos insists that everything will be fixed “in the near future,” but experts warn that repairs at the Baikonur Cosmodrome could take up to two years, during which time Russia would lose its ability to send humans into space.

The maintenance cabin (also referred to as a service platform) located in the flame trench at the Baikonur Cosmodrome's Site 31/6 in Kazakhstan reportedly collapsed after the launching of two Russian cosmonauts and one American astronaut to the ISS. The platform is needed in the preparation of boosters launching from the pad, as noted by the Space online publication.

Some experts note that repairs may take from six months to two years, during which Russia will be unable to launch Soyuz and Progress spacecraft to the ISS, since there is currently no alternative to launches from Baikonur.

Roscosmos did confirm the damage to elements of the launch pad yet assured that replacement parts are available and that the damage will be repaired soon.

“An inspection of the launch site was carried out, as is done every time after a rocket is launched. Damage to several elements of the launch pad was identified. Post-launch damage can occur, which is why such inspections are mandatory worldwide. An assessment of the launch complex is currently under way. All the necessary reserve components for restoration are available, and the damage will be repaired in the near future,” the state corporation said in a statement posted on Telegram.

Russia's Baikonur launch pad has suffered damage (possibly major) after a Soyuz launch today-- putting in doubt Russia's ability to do manned launches to the @Space_Station. @roscosmos says there's some damage, inspections ongoing) pic.twitter.com/edzNQeJ7nb

— Mike Eckel (@Mike_Eckel) November 27, 2025

Rocket-launch analyst Georgy Trishkin called the incident “the worst-case scenario,” writing on X that spacecraft launches to the ISS “are being postponed indefinitely.” The absence of alternative launch sites, he added, “is the result of a series of years-long short-sighted decisions and inefficient resource management.”

Other Russian launch sites capable of handling rockets exist at the Vostochny Cosmodrome and at Plesetsk, but neither has ever been used for ISS missions, as Russian media outlets note.

Vostochny lacks the necessary infrastructure for handling Progress cargo spacecraft, and its launch pad is not prepared for crewed Soyuz vehicles. Plesetsk’s high northern latitude makes launches to the ISS trajectory impossible due to ballistic constraints.

“Taking this launch pad out of service for an indefinite period affects the entire rotation of launches to the ISS, both crewed and cargo,” Trishkin concludes.

Russia could have modernized another launch pad at the cosmodrome — the very first one, known as the Gagarin’s Start — but it was recently decommissioned and transferred to Kazakhstan to be turned into a museum.

Construction of the secret missile site began in 1955 by the Soviet authorities. The first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, and first human in space, Yuri Gagarin, were launched from Baikonur. All subsequent Russian manned missions have lifted off from there, as well as geostationary, lunar, planetary, and many ocean surveillance missions. Located on Kazakhstan's sovereign territory, the Russian Federation pays a lease fee to the Central Asian republic for use of objects of the Baikonur complex ever since the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

The name Baikonur was intentionally misleading until recently, according to the European Space Agency. The former Soviet Union used the name and coordinates of a small mining town, Baikonur, to describe its secret rocket complex. This was done intentionally to hide the true location of the launch complex. In fact, the launch complex is located about 370 kilometres south-west of Baikonur town. In reality, it was built close to a city called Leninsk, which was subsequently renamed Baikonur city in 1998.

By Nazrin Sadigova