According to NASASpaceFlight.com, shortly after liftoff, a structure collapsed on the launch pad at Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Drone footage reportedly shows the site’s mobile maintenance cabin lying upside down in flames. In a statement, Roscosmos explained that damage may have occurred after launch, and an inspection is currently underway.
“All necessary spare parts for repairs are available, and the damage will be repaired in the near future,” the translated statement said.
Site 31/6 is the only Russian launch site capable of launching astronauts and cargo to the ISS, and will not remain operational until the structure is repaired. This means that Russia is cut off from the space station until further notice. But to be clear, the crew aboard the ISS are not stranded by this accident, and will have plenty of supplies even if upcoming cargo missions are delayed.
Probably the clearest view ever of the collapsed service platform at Site 31 in Baikonur: pic.twitter.com/qL5irlhFPe
– Anatoly Zak (@RussianSpaceWeb) 28 November 2025
a major accident
According to NASASpaceFlight.com, the maintenance cabin is a 144-ton (131-metric-ton) mobile metal platform equipped with two lifting platforms. Before launch, the maintenance cabin is placed under the rocket by raising platforms. This provides access to the rocket’s engine, allowing the launch team to make preparations.
Once those tasks are completed, the team lowers the lifting platform and moves the maintenance cabin into an enclosed “nook” below the launch pad. On November 27, the maintenance cabin was either not properly secured in the corner, or the locks holding it in the rear position could not withstand the load, NASASpaceFlight.com reported.
According to RussianSpaceWeb.com, the collapse “apparently occurred moments after liftoff, as launch photographs capturing the flame duct showed no signs of failure.” NASASpaceFlight.com explains that as the rocket launched, the pressure difference between the space beneath it and the corner where the maintenance cabin was stored pulled the cabin out of the corner and into the flame ditch.
According to unconfirmed rumors after today #SoyuzMS28 During launch, an emergency situation occurred on Pad 31: part of the launch facility, the maintenance cabin located below the rocket, was damaged. Roscosmos has not yet commented on these rumors, I also have no additional information. pic.twitter.com/LQ0uPL5Kk1
– Katya Pavlushchenko (@katlinegrey) 27 November 2025
Photos posted on social media showed extensive damage to the maintenance cabin, suggesting the entire platform could not be repaired. According to RussianSpaceWeb.com, Roscosmos will need to install an additional maintenance cabin or build a new one to resume launches at Site 31/6.
Roscosmos, you are grounded
It is unclear how long it will take to reopen the site 31/6. Initial estimates suggest repairs could take up to two years, RussianSpaceWeb.com reports. Roscosmos has not shared any contingency plans for continuing cargo and crew missions to the ISS.
A maintenance cabin accident is likely to delay the launch of Progress MS-33, a Russian ISS resupply mission currently scheduled to launch on December 21. The next crewed mission—Soyuz MS-29—is not scheduled to launch until July 2026, but it is also at risk of being postponed.
Much remains unknown as we await more information from Roscosmos, but it is already clear that this incident has derailed its ISS launch schedule. Once the initial inspection is complete, the agency will begin work to restore Site 31/6 as quickly as possible.
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