As Trishkin noted, this occurred at launch pad 31 immediately after the morning launch; however, the reasons for the incident remain unknown.
Vitaly Egorov, a promoter of astronautics, emphasized that during the "Roscosmos" broadcast, it was noticeable that there was a massive metal structure in the gas drainage trench under the launch pad, which should not have been there.
In Egorov's opinion, this could have been a service "balcony" that extends for rocket preparation and is hidden behind an armored wall during launch.
Trishkin added that launch pad 31 is the only site for launching Russian crewed missions to the International Space Station (ISS). He expressed the opinion that launches of "Soyuz" and "Progress" to the ISS may now be postponed indefinitely.
Egorov also noted that from this moment on, Russia could lose the ability to send people into space, which has not happened since 1961.
The Russian state corporation "Roscosmos" confirmed the information about the damage. In their statement, they indicated that during the inspection of the launch site, damage to several elements of the launch pad was identified, but assured that all necessary components for restoration are available and that the repairs will be carried out in the near future.
The rocket launch proceeded without any issues, as clarified by "Roscosmos." The spacecraft successfully docked with the International Space Station. On board were Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikaev, as well as NASA astronaut Christopher Williams. They plan to spend 242 days in orbit, with two spacewalks planned as part of the Russian program.
