The launch of the launch vehicle containing the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) at the Baikonur Cosmodrome was canceled at the last minute. publications “Roskosmos”.
“Launch automatically aborted… Prepare to park for 24 hours,” the announcer said.
Originally the Soyuz MS-25 ship To go It was sent to the ISS on March 13, but the launch was postponed until March 21. The start is scheduled for 16:21 Moscow time. On board were Russian Oleg Novitsky, Belarusian Marina Vasilevskaya and American Tracy Dyson.
Vasilevskaya and Novitsky were planned to spend 12 days on the space station and return to Earth on April 2 aboard the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft, along with American Loral O’Hara.
What happened at the launch of Soyuz?
The reason why Soyuz MS-25 did not take off during Roscosmos’s live broadcast was not disclosed. But the announcer on NASA’s live broadcast reportedThe engines of the Soyuz-2.1A launch vehicle did not turn on at the required time.
Later, Roscosmos head Yuri Borisov told reporters that an emergency situation arose during preparations for the launch and the entire procedure was interrupted.
“At a meeting of the state commission, we learned that the reason was a voltage drop in the chemical power supply. Thank God, nothing terrible happened,” Borisov explained.
The head of Roscosmos added that the Soyuz crew were completely healthy, trained, “consistent” people. Borisov noted that Belarusian Vasilevskaya’s pulse did not even increase while she was preparing for the start.
“Now the launch complex will return to its original position. “From now on, a detailed analysis will be made regarding the reasons,” he said.
Borisov also emphasized that the situation that emerged was quite understandable and the entire crew knew what to do. “There is no panic, everything is under control,” the head of Roscosmos said.
Roscosmos Manned Programs Director Sergei Krikalev said that the Soyuz MS-25 crew left the ship and returned to quarantine. The backup launch date has already been determined; It will take place on March 23 at 15:36 Moscow time.
This is the first time this has happened to a Russian rocket.
Scientific journalist Mikhail Kotov speaks to RBC reportedIt was stated that for the first time in Russia, a rocket launch with a manned spacecraft was canceled at the last minute. But this has happened before in the United States.
One of the latest such cases is the cancellation of the Crew Dragon 6 mission, flown by Russian cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev.
“The cancellation was two minutes before the start. Also, as NASA said, due to problems with the ground systems. There (in the USA – socialbites.ca) this usually happens quite regularly. “I remember six, if not seven times in the last ten years,” Kotov added .
Crew details
For Hero of Russia cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky, the flight on Soyuz MS-25 was supposed to be the fourth. in that orbit spent a total of 531 days, 6 hours and 58 minutes. Novitsky has also been in space three times.
Marina Vasilevskaya from Belarus will fly into space for the first time. He will become the first cosmonaut in his country’s modern history following the launch of Soyuz MS-25. Vasilevskaya was born She worked as a flight attendant-instructor for Belavia Airlines in Minsk for six years.
Marina Vasilevskaya and Anastasia Lenkova in July 2023 (Pediatric surgeon of the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Pediatric Surgery, understudy of Vasilevskaya)The pilot, chosen from six candidates, arrived in Star City to prepare for the flight. It took eight months; As part of the preparation, the girls examined the systems of the Soyuz MS spacecraft, the Russian section of the ISS, and learned how to act in emergency situations.
American Tracy Dyson has been twice before flew into space – in 2007 and 2010. As part of the new mission, Dyson is planned to spend more than a year on the ISS and return to Earth on Soyuz MS-25 together with Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub.