Baikonur Launch Platform Collapse Grounds Russian Space Program, Recovery Expected to Take Months
BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan – A critical launch platform at Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome has collapsed, halting all human and cargo spaceflights and raising concerns about the future of the Russian space program. The platform, from which Yuri Gagarin launched as the frist human in space in 1961, was damaged when a multi-ton structure fell from a height of approximately five stories.
Experts estimate repairs will take at least three to six months, though a firm timeline remains uncertain. “A multi-ton structure dropped from a height of five stories should absolutely no longer be used for the launch of human spacecraft,” stated Katya Pavlushchenko, a specialist in russian space travel, on X (formerly Twitter).
The collapse promptly impacts crew rotations to the International Space Station (ISS). The current Soyuz crew cannot be relieved from the ISS, and resupply missions using Progress cargo ships – which utilize the same launch platform – are also suspended.The next Progress launch, scheduled for December 21, carrying New year’s gifts for cosmonauts, will almost certainly be delayed, as will a planned Soyuz flight on July 14.
Russia has limited option launch sites. Plesetsk is too far north, Vostotsjny is not certified for human launches, and French Guiana is unavailable due to international sanctions.
The incident underscores a broader decline in the Russian space industry, according to Erik Laan, a space technology lecturer at InHolland University of Applied Sciences. “Deplorable,” Laan described the state of Russian space travel, adding the platform’s failure is “typical” of current conditions. Some experts suggest Russia may need to seek assistance from China, which has a rapidly developing space program, to expedite repairs. Roscosmos has not yet released detailed information regarding the cause of the collapse or a definitive repair schedule.
