Baikonur - The Times Of Central Asia

Viewing results 1 - 6 of 35

Baikonur

Roscosmos: Damaged Baikonur Launch Pad To Be Ready in Early 2026

Russia’s space agency Roscosmos says a Baikonur Cosmodrome launch pad that was damaged during the lift-off of a crewed spacecraft in late November is being repaired and will be ready to resume operations at the end of February next year. “The manned program continues,” Roscosmos said following two weeks of speculation about the impact of delays on crewed flights from the leased Baikonur facility in Kazakhstan. If Russia meets its repair schedule, it would beat some predictions that said the launch pad might not back in operation for up to two years. More than 130 Roscosmos employees, working in two shifts from 8 a.m. to midnight, and 18 heavy vehicles are involved in replacing a service cabin that was damaged in the launch of the Soyuz MS-28 craft that took two Russian cosmonauts and one American astronaut to the International Space Station, the agency said on Monday. “Work has begun on priming and painting the cabin parts. As they become ready, they will be transported to the launch pad. Some of the equipment is already there,” Roscosmos said. “After priming and painting the parts, specialists will begin installing the cabin and conducting autonomous tests.” Space journalists and analysts said the previous mobile service platform was not properly secured during the November launch and collapsed into a flame duct below the launch pad. A cargo flight to the International Space Station had been scheduled for this month from Baikonur but was delayed after the mishap.

Baikonur

Soyuz Crew Lands Safely in Kazakhstan After Space Mission

An American astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts landed in Kazakhstan on Tuesday after leaving the International Space Station, or ISS, in a Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft, ending an eight-month stay in space. NASA´s Jonny Kim and Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky of Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, made the parachute-assisted landing in the steppes southeast of Zhezkazgan, in the central part of the country. “Early in the morning, they were on the ISS, and now they are on Earth,” Roscosmos said on Telegram. “Over the course of 245 days in space, the crew orbited Earth 3,920 times, traveling nearly 104 million miles,” NASA said. “They launched to the space station on April 8. This mission marked the first spaceflight for both Kim and Zubritsky, while Ryzhikov completed his third journey to space, logging a total of 603 days in space.” [caption id="attachment_40649" align="aligncenter" width="1307"] Image: Roscosmos[/caption] Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the safe landing and congratulated the three men on completing their mission aboard the International Space Station. The men conducted a number of scientific experiments on the station. “Kazakhstan remains a trusted partner in international space cooperation, providing essential infrastructure and conditions that support safe and successful human spaceflight,” the ministry said. The Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan is a mainstay of the Russian space program.

Baikonur

Critical Baikonur Launch Pad Hit by Damage After Soyuz MS-28 Liftoff

Russia’s space agency has confirmed that a launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan was damaged during the liftoff of a Soyuz spacecraft that carried three crew to the International Space Station, raising questions about the near-term launch schedule at the site that Russia has relied on for more than six decades. Roscosmos reported that the Soyuz MS-28 mission lifted off from Baikonur on November 26 and reached orbit without problems. The spacecraft carried Russian cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikayev, and NASA astronaut Christopher Williams. The crew docked with the station about three hours later. Roscosmos said in a statement on its official Telegram channel that the crew was healthy and the spacecraft worked as planned. Soon after the launch, engineers inspected Launch Pad 31/6, which served as the departure point for the flight. The agency said the inspection found damage to several structural elements on the pad and that repair work would start soon. Roscosmos said all required parts were on hand and the pad would be restored in the near future. Both The Moscow Times and Russian state media, including RIA Novosti, reported that the pad sustained damage but did not identify specific components. Roscosmos confirmed that “damage to several elements of the launch pad was detected.” Independent analysts have stated the damage might be more serious than Roscosmos has suggested, with Anatoly Zak, who publishes technical assessments of Russian space activity at RussiaSpaceWeb, reporting that a mobile service platform may have collapsed into the flame trench below the pad during or shortly after liftoff. Zak noted that the available launch pad for Russian crew missions might be unusable until engineers confirm the structure’s stability, and that it was unclear how soon crews or cargo could fly from Baikonur if the pad requires major work. Roscosmos has not confirmed a collapse of the platform, and it has not provided further details about the condition of the pad. The agency said the accident did not affect the MS-28 mission itself, which it described as nominal. But any impact on the pad is notable because Russia depends on Baikonur for its Soyuz crew launches. Russia leases the site from Kazakhstan through 2050 and continues to use its Soviet-era pads because Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East is not yet certified for crew flights. Russian outlets noted that future launches could face adjustments, but none reported a confirmed delay of a Progress mission. Roscosmos has neither confirmed the schedule nor said whether that mission will move to a later date. NASA has not issued a public statement about the status of joint operations after the incident. Russia and the United States continue to exchange seats on Soyuz and SpaceX vehicles under a 2022 agreement that allows both sides to maintain a sustained presence on the International Space Station. NASA has said the arrangement reduces risk because each side can reach the station even if one spacecraft type is grounded for technical reasons. The new damage at Baikonur highlights the...

Baikonur

Launch Pad Damage Reported at Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome

Russia’s space agency says a launch pad at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan was damaged during the lift-off of a Soyuz spacecraft that ferried three people to the International Space Station on Thursday. The agency, Roscosmos, said the launch pad will soon be repaired. But some analysts say the incident could lead to launch delays at Baikonur, which Russia periodically uses to send its cosmonauts as well as American astronauts to the space station. In the latest mission from Baikonur, the Soyuz MS-28 craft safely delivered Russian cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikayev, as well as Christopher Williams of NASA, to the station. “The space launch vehicle took off normally, without any issues. The spacecraft successfully docked with the International Space Station. The crew is on board and feeling well,” Roscosmos said on Telegram. “An inspection of the launch site was conducted, as is done every time after a rocket launch. Damage to several elements of the launch pad was identified,” the agency said. It added: “All necessary spare parts are available for restoration, and the damage will be repaired in the near future.” Quoting unidentified Russian sources, space writer Anatoly Zak said that a mobile service platform had collapsed into a flame duct below the launch pad, making the only facility for Russian orbital crew launches unusable for now. He said it was unclear whether a makeshift solution could be found to offset any delay in cargo and crew launches. A cargo flight had been scheduled for December. Crewed flights have long traveled from the United States to the International Space Station. But any significant disruption to Russia’s launch capabilities would be a setback for the station, which is scheduled to be decommissioned around 2030.

Baikonur

International Space Station Marks 25 Years of Continuous Habitation

Two Russian cosmonauts and one American astronaut floated through a hatch into the International Space Station on Thursday, beginning an eight-month stay after arriving on a Russian spacecraft that launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz MS-28 craft that docked at the station, or ISS, on Thursday carried Russian commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov on his second trip to space, as well as Russian Sergey Mikayev and Christopher Williams of NASA. Mikayev and Williams are on their first mission as part of a longstanding collaboration between NASA and Russian space agency Roscosmos that has kept the ISS continuously inhabited for 25 years. The first arrivals were in November 2000. Live video showed Kud-Sverchkov, Mikayev and Williams, who will conduct scientific experiments and spacewalks during their stay, being greeted with big smiles from the astronauts and cosmonauts already on board the ISS. There are now a total of 10 people on the station. Williams, who has worked as a clinical physicist and cancer researcher, recently talked about his relationship with his fellow travelers from Russia on a NASA-run program called Houston We Have a Podcast. “It’s a really great crew,” Williams said. The two Russians, he said, “are both just absolutely wonderful people, really kind, super interested, super intellectually curious, which is really fun. Had a lot of really, really great discussions, just talking and talking about things. And it’s been been wonderful to both spend some time with them over in Star City, and also to be able to spend some time with them in Houston through our training.” Star City is a facility in the Moscow area where cosmonauts train. Houston is home to NASA’s Johnson Space Center. “And so when I’m over there in Star City, we’re doing a lot of Soyuz simulations together,” Williams said. “So we’re spending a lot of time, sort of the three of us in a small capsule for, you know, several hours at a time, you know, in suits… running through sort of mock scenarios of of what would happen on launch, on rendezvous, on on on departing the station, as well as in the ISS trainers.” The training also included emergency scenarios that could unfold on the International Space Station.

Baikonur

Mice in “Miniature Hotel” Poised for Space Launch from Baikonur

A crew of mice, flies, and ants, to be used for biomedical research in space, are on board a spacecraft that Russia is preparing to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. On other missions, the rocket typically rolls to the launch pad a few days before launch. On this one, however, a Soyuz rocket that will hoist the Bion-M No. 2 biosatellite into orbit rolled out on Tuesday, one day ahead of the scheduled lift-off. “This is due to the preservation of the biological samples on board,” said Roscosmos, Russia’s space agency. “The goal is to reach weightlessness as quickly as possible.” The purpose of sending mice to space is to evaluate the impact of radiation and zero gravity on the rodents, including whether time in space affects their hormonal balance, immunity, reproductive processes, and metabolism. Russia has conducted similar missions in the past, including the Bion-M No.1 satellite launch in 2013 that ferried mice, gerbils, snails, and fish to space. The Bion-M No. 2 mission has been delayed multiple times in recent years. Such experiments could help prepare humans for long-term space travel. Mice have a genetic similarity to humans, and their short life cycle allows for the tracking of changes across generations, according to Roscosmos. During the 30-day mission of the Bion-M No. 2, “scientists will receive real-time data on the rodents' condition using special cameras and sensors inside the mouse boxes. Moreover, some individuals will have implanted chips,” the space agency said. It said the living conditions of the dozens of mice on the satellite resemble a “miniature hotel” in which they have feeding, lighting, ventilation, and waste disposal systems. The accommodation is more spacious than it was for the mice on the Bion-M No. 1 satellite more than a decade ago. Fruit flies, ants, tomato seeds and fungi are also on this week’s space-bound mission. The tomato seeds, part of an experiment being conducted by Russian and Belarusian schoolchildren, will be planted on Earth after the space mission to see how they grow.