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Soyuz crew reaches ISS amid launch pad damage at Baikonur
A NASA astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts successfully docked with the International Space Station following a Soyuz MS-28 launch from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome, though the mission revealed serious damage to the launch pad.
Post-launch checks uncovered that a key mobile servicing cabin under the pad had collapsed into the exhaust trench, affecting multiple components essential for crewed Soyuz and Progress missions. Roscosmos, Russia's space agency, confirmed the issues and pledged swift repairs using available spare parts.
Experts caution that full restoration could span months or even two years, potentially halting Russia's crewed launches from Baikonur, its only such facility marking the first such outage since 1961. The crew, set for an eight-month stay, joined the station's expanded team of 10, with rotations planned to usher in Expedition 74 soon.