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No. The Soyuz accident did not permanently destroy Russia’s ability to launch astronauts. On October 11, 2018, a booster-separation failure during the Soyuz MS-10 launch triggered an emergency abort. NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin survived and landed safely. Russian crewed launches were temporarily suspended while investigators examined the rocket, but later Soyuz missions—including Soyuz MS-28 in November 2025—show that the incident was a temporary flight-safety crisis, not the end of Russian human spaceflight.
What happened to Soyuz MS-10?
Soyuz MS-10 launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on October 11, 2018, carrying Hague and Ovchinin toward the International Space Station. Shortly after liftoff, the launch vehicle suffered an ascent anomaly involving the first-stage boosters.
The crew’s escape system separated the spacecraft from the failing rocket. The capsule then made a steep, ballistic return to Earth rather than following its planned orbital trajectory. Search-and-rescue teams recovered both crew members, who were reported to be in good condition. NASA described the event as a launch abort, not as a fatal spacecraft explosion.
NASA’s initial account confirmed that the crew survived and that an investigation would follow.
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The technical cause was a booster-separation failure
The later investigation found that one first-stage engine separated abnormally and struck the second stage. NASA’s summary of the Roscosmos findings identified a deformed separation-contact sensor stem introduced during assembly at Baikonur.
That distinction matters. The failure involved the launch vehicle’s separation sequence and assembly process; it did not demonstrate that every Soyuz spacecraft, every Russian launch site, or the entire Russian crewed-spaceflight program had become unusable.
NASA reported the investigation’s findings and the planned return-to-flight process in its November 1, 2018 update.
What was actually grounded?
After Soyuz MS-10, Russian launches to the ISS were temporarily suspended. That immediately affected planned crew rotations and required NASA and Roscosmos to review mission schedules, vehicle inspections, and flight-readiness procedures.
But “Russian launches were grounded” is not the same statement as “Russia permanently lost the ability to launch astronauts.” The impact could be described at several different levels:
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| Claim | What the evidence supports |
|---|---|
| One rocket failed | Yes. Soyuz MS-10 suffered a booster-separation anomaly. |
| Crews could not launch immediately | Yes. Soyuz launches were temporarily suspended for investigation and certification. |
| A particular launch campaign was delayed | Yes. Crew and cargo schedules had to be revised. |
| Baikonur or one launch complex was unavailable | This requires specific evidence about infrastructure damage; it should not be assumed from the rocket failure alone. |
| Russia could never launch astronauts again | No. Subsequent crewed Soyuz operations contradict that conclusion. |
Baikonur is also a specific cosmodrome, operated by Russia under a lease in Kazakhstan. A problem at one pad or with one launch-vehicle configuration would not automatically eliminate Russia’s entire national launch capability.
Were astronauts stranded in orbit?
No astronauts were stranded by the Soyuz MS-10 launch abort. The two people aboard the failed launch landed safely, while astronauts already aboard the ISS continued their mission under revised planning.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsHowever, a Soyuz grounding can create serious operational problems even when no one is immediately trapped. Soyuz spacecraft have historically served both as transport vehicles and as emergency return vehicles for ISS crews. If crew rotations are delayed or a spacecraft becomes unavailable, agencies may need to extend missions, rearrange seats, or launch an uncrewed replacement vehicle.
That risk became clear again after the coolant leak on Soyuz MS-22 in December 2022. NASA’s inspector general reported that the damaged spacecraft led to contingency planning, an uncrewed replacement Soyuz mission, and a 371-day mission for NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and two cosmonauts. The episode showed why the ISS needs more than one transportation option, even when the underlying launch system remains operational.
See the NASA Office of Inspector General report on sustaining ISS operations through 2030 for its analysis of transportation redundancy and contingency planning.
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Why the accident mattered to NASA and the ISS
In 2018, Soyuz was the primary way astronauts traveled to and from the ISS. A temporary suspension therefore threatened more than Russia’s launch schedule. It could affect:
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- the availability of certified return seats for astronauts already aboard;
- mission durations and crew handovers;
- cargo and station-maintenance planning; and
- NASA’s dependence on Russian transportation services.
The situation is less one-sided now than it was during the period when Soyuz was the only routine crew-transport system serving the station. NASA’s mission records include both Russian Soyuz flights and SpaceX Crew Dragon missions. That does not make either system instantly interchangeable in every emergency, but it provides important redundancy.
NASA’s Expedition 73 chronology records Soyuz MS-28 launching from Baikonur on November 27, 2025, alongside later crew-transport activity involving Crew Dragon. That later history is incompatible with the claim that the 2018 accident permanently ended Russia’s ability to launch people into orbit.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Temporary grounding versus permanent loss
A crewed launch system is not a single machine. It is a chain that includes the spacecraft, launch vehicle, launch pad, ground equipment, escape system, recovery teams, trained crews, flight controllers, and—in the case of ISS missions—docking and station operations.
An accident can disable one link without destroying the entire chain. Investigators may require:
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- an explanation of the failure mechanism;
- inspections of related rockets and hardware;
- changes to assembly or quality-control procedures;
- an uncrewed return-to-flight mission;
- a new flight-readiness review; and
- additional approval before carrying people again.
That process can ground crewed flights for weeks or months. It can also expose a lack of redundancy. Neither result proves that a country has permanently lost its ability to conduct human spaceflight.
What happened afterward?
Following Soyuz MS-10, Russian crewed launches were paused while the failure was investigated. Roscosmos and its partners then prepared corrective actions and a return-to-flight sequence, including planned cargo activity and subsequent crewed operations.
The decisive evidence is what happened after the crisis. Soyuz flights resumed, and NASA’s later mission chronology lists Soyuz MS-28 launching in November 2025. The return of normal crewed operations demonstrates that the 2018 event was a serious but temporary interruption.
How to read the dramatic headline
The phrase “destroys Russia’s ability to launch astronauts into space” collapses several different questions into one absolute claim. A more accurate assessment asks:
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- Was the crew in danger? Yes, but the abort system worked and both crew members survived.
- Were Russian crewed launches temporarily suspended? Yes.
- Did the accident permanently eliminate Russian human-spaceflight capability? No.
- Could ISS operations be disrupted by a Soyuz grounding? Yes, especially where transportation redundancy is limited.
- Does one rocket failure prove that an entire launch country is incapable of flying crews? No.
It is also important not to confuse the Soyuz spacecraft with the Soyuz launch vehicle. “Soyuz” can refer to the crew capsule, the rocket family, or the complete launch system. A precise report should identify which component failed and whether the issue affected one vehicle, one pad, or a broader fleet.
The bottom line
The 2018 Soyuz MS-10 accident temporarily disrupted Russia’s crewed-launch schedule and exposed the operational risks of relying heavily on a single transportation system. It did not permanently destroy Russia’s ability to launch astronauts. The crew survived because the launch-abort system functioned, the technical cause was investigated, Soyuz flights resumed, and later missions—including Soyuz MS-28 in 2025—confirmed that Russian human spaceflight continued.
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