In a rare and unexpected turn of events, a Russian Soyuz rocket carrying three astronauts bound for the International Space Station experienced an abort on the launch pad just 21 seconds before liftoff. NASA astronaut Tracey Caldwell Dyson, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy, and spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya from Belarus were all on board and awaiting liftoff when the automatic abort system kicked in.
The reason for the abort has not been disclosed, but NASA spokesperson Rob Navias confirmed that the crew members were safe. Engineers were sent to the launch pad to ensure the safety of the astronauts before they could disembark from the rocket.
Russian Soyuz rockets have a long history of successful launches to and from the ISS, making this an unusual occurrence. The timing for the next launch attempt is currently uncertain as engineers are working to identify the cause of the abort and any necessary fixes that need to be made.
In the meantime, an uncrewed SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon cargo ship are scheduled to launch fresh supplies to the ISS from Cape Canaveral in Florida later in the day. As of now, there have been no reported issues with the SpaceX launch, providing a glimmer of hope for continued space missions despite the unexpected setback with the Russian Soyuz rocket. Stay tuned for updates on both missions as more information becomes available.
