Explosion in flight
The 2018 Soyuz MS-10 mission, launched on October 11, was intended to rotate the International Space Station crew. Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin and American astronaut Tyler N. Haig were aboard, while a placeholder food container filled the role of the third crew member due to Russia delaying staffing after the Nauka module launch.
The ascent began smoothly aboard a Soyuz-FG rocket, with the first two minutes passing without incident. At 117 seconds the side boosters separated, and a complication emerged at 118 seconds. Block D failed to detach in sync with the other stages, causing a later explosion and a rapid, uncontrollable rotation of the rocket. By 123 seconds into flight, the crew activated the emergency rescue system and moved the capsule away from the tumbling rocket, averting a catastrophe.
Investigations later showed that the abnormal separation stemmed from a failure to open the nozzle cover on the oxidizer tank of block D. The deformation of the separation contact sensor rod during assembly prevented the cover from opening properly, described by officials at Baikonur as a six-degree bend that caused the issue.
In response, Progress RCC tightened worker recertifications and expanded video surveillance across assembly lines to prevent a repeat. If the crew had stayed attached to the rocket, survival would likely have been impossible; the rescue system developed under Sergei Korolev’s program once again proved its worth.
Catapult for an astronaut
A slender vertical bar sits atop the Soyuz fairing during all crewed launches. It is a core part of the escape system. The bar supports two solid rocket motors with multiple downward-facing nozzles arranged at about a 30-degree angle. In an emergency from refueling up to 161 seconds into flight, one of the upper engines separates the living compartment of the Soyuz spacecraft from the lower instruments and systems area where the crew resides.
Simultaneously, lattice stabilizers deploy and smaller thrusters fine-tune the trajectory. If the upper portion containing the crew tears away, the system lifts the capsule away from the blast by roughly 800 meters upward and 100 meters sideways before the remaining engines detach the upper stage and the nose fairing. Then the parachute system takes over, allowing the crew to recover the intact, reusable capsule rather than the entire rocket.
The 2018 MS-10 event occurred at about 50 kilometers altitude, with the motorized boom lowered to save weight and not all engines engaging. Typically the crew capsule would be pushed away at around 78 kilometers, but in this event the extra push was not available, so the remaining systems were relied upon to ensure safety and recovery.
This escape mechanism traces back to a mid-1960s design and has operated with relative reliability ever since. The first rescue occurred in 1975 when a failed second stage separation forced an unplanned descent, leaving cosmonauts Vasily Lazarev and Oleg Makarov with injuries from the braking forces, yet alive. In 1983 Vladimir Titov and Gennady Strekalov benefited from the system when a dramatic sequence allowed them to reach a survivable altitude, though the mission’s overall fate was initially perilous. In 2018 the system faced a test that had not occurred in decades, underscoring the enduring value of the escape capability. Haig later commented at a briefing that the test was a valuable, long-awaited verification of a system not exercised in 35 years.
How did salvation feel?
Ovchinin described the moment as happening in a fraction of a second. The initial jolt produced a violent side-to-side motion, followed by a rolling sequence and a red warning light with an audible alert signaling trouble. The moment registered in memory as a stark reminder that danger can unfold in an instant.
Both crew members remained composed, with Ovchinin noting there was no time for nerves during the incident. They followed trained procedures, maintaining operations of the ship’s core systems as Haig relayed location data and altitude information to ground teams to anticipate the fall’s path and timing.
Ovchinin recalled severe chest and back pressure during the descent, likening it to a heavy load pressing against the body. He also praised Haig for professional conduct and restraint, expressing a desire to fly again together. The team later reached the ISS aboard Soyuz MS-12 in March 2019, and both cosmonauts were awarded the Order of Courage for their calm and capable response in a critical emergency.