Emergency Landing of Astronauts Due to Technical Malfunction of Soyuz Spacecraft

Russian and American space agencies announced on Thursday, October 11, that due to a technical malfunction in the booster of the Soyuz spacecraft, two astronauts onboard safely landed in central Kazakhstan shortly after launch. Alexey Oshin, a Russian astronaut, and Nick Hague, an American astronaut, who were supposed to go to the International Space Station with the Soyuz spacecraft, had to separate the crew capsule from the spacecraft and return to Earth with an emergency landing. NASA and Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, stated that both astronauts are in good health. Their capsule landed 20 kilometers from the city of Zhezkazgan in central Kazakhstan, approximately 500 kilometers from the Baikonur space launch facility. Dmitry Rogozin (right) is seen talking with Nick Hague, the American astronaut. NASA stated, "Search and rescue units have reached the landing site of the capsule and report that both astronauts are well and have exited the capsule." An informed source at the Baikonur space center also said, "Both astronauts are safe. They have landed, and we have found them." NASA in a previous statement mentioned that the astronauts had to land using a ballistic method, which resulted in a steeper landing angle than normal. NASA has released images of the two astronauts undergoing medical checks and resting in Zhezkazgan. They are expected to be transferred soon to the Baikonur base and from there to the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in the outskirts of Moscow. Dmitry Rogozin, head of Roscosmos, stated that he has ordered the formation of an investigative commission to examine the reasons for the technical malfunction, and Yuri Borisov, the Russian Deputy Prime Minister, announced that until the investigation is complete, manned space flights will be halted. The Russian news agency Interfax reported, citing Mr. Borisov, that 123 seconds after the Soyuz launched from Baikonur, due to a technical malfunction, the capsule carrying the astronauts automatically separated from the spacecraft's booster. According to him, the technical malfunction occurred simultaneously during the first and second stages of the rocket booster operation. Images from inside the capsule show that the astronauts were shaking violently during the technical malfunction. Jim Bridenstine, a NASA official, stated that a thorough investigation will be conducted regarding the causes of this incident. Relations between Washington and Moscow have reached their lowest point since the end of the Cold War due to the wars in Ukraine and Syria, allegations of Russian interference in the U.S. presidential elections, and other issues, but the two countries continue to cooperate in the field of space. Since 2011, when the U.S. space fleet ceased operations, Russian Soyuz spacecraft have been the only means of transporting astronauts to the International Space Station. It is reported that the technical malfunction on Thursday in the rocket booster is the first case of an emergency landing of Soyuz spacecraft since 1975. In that year, a Soyuz spacecraft was forced to make an emergency landing due to various sections not separating during its return to Earth, but the astronauts were unharmed. In 1983, a Soyuz spacecraft exploded on the launch pad, but two astronauts exited the spacecraft before the explosion and were unharmed.