Russia loses ability to send humans into space for first time in 60 years

An accident has occurred at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, a spaceport operated by Russia within Kazakhstan, following the launch of the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft.

Source: Meduza, a Latvia-based Russian media outlet

Details: Immediately after liftoff, the mobile service cabin at Site 31 collapsed and parts of the launch pad were damaged.

Footage of the launch shows a large metal structure in the rocket's exhaust duct, where it should not have been. Early assessments indicate that this may have been a service module that was supposed to retract before launch but, for unknown reasons, remained under the structure.

The damaged pad is the only operational platform for crewed missions to the International Space Station (ISS), so the accident could delay all future Soyuz and Progress flights for an indefinite period. This incident effectively temporarily deprives Russia of the ability to send astronauts into space – something that has not happened since the early 1960s.

Russia's State Space Corporation ROSCOSMOS confirmed the damage and stated that "all necessary spare parts are available" and repairs will be conducted shortly. No specific timeline for the repair has been announced.