20 seconds before liftoff, Russia canceled the flight of three astronauts to the International Space Station

Russian Space Agency Roscosmos On Thursday, it canceled the launch of three astronauts into space International Space StationOnly about 20 seconds before take off, however The crew is fineThe authorities reported.

The missile Soyuz MS-25 He was about to take off from the base Baikonur in Kazakhstan Transporting astronauts Tracy Dyson From NASA, Oleg Novitsky From Roscosmos and Marina Vasilievskaya From Belarus.

The cancellation took place when the Soyuz vehicle was already on the launch pad For departure at 13:21 GMT.

Roscosmos explained that the take-off was It was canceled by an automatic security system Just when the ship's engines were ready to start and smoke was emitting.

“Attention. An automatic flight cancellation has occurred. Bringing the complex launch modules to their initial state. Prepare to park your car for 24 hoursAccording to the Russian agency during the live broadcast.

A NASA commentator, who was also broadcasting the launch live, noted this “The normally expected engine sequence did not start at that time“, twenty seconds before take-off.

He added: “The automatic command was issued to cancel the countdown and end the launch.”

According to NASA, “Engineers are already on the launch pad assessing what may have caused the outage,” but the exact cause remains unknown. “The crew is safe on board the Soyuz spacecraft.”.

Starting, The Soyuz MS-25 was supposed to be launched on March 13But Roscosmos postponed it to March 21.

The ship's flight plan was thought about Coupling with Prichal unit For the Russian part of the orbital platform.

This is the A new setback for the Russian space sectorwho has been suffering for years Financing problemsScandals corruption And failureSuch as the loss of the lunar lander in August 2023 Moon 25.

The flight was also the first for Belarusian astronaut Marina Vasilievskaya.

“For me, it is a great honor and great pride to represent Belarus on the International Space Station. I am ready for the flight,” Vasilievskaya, a flight attendant at the Belarusian airline Belavia, told the agency. Beltaone day before the canceled flight.

Vasilievskaya's trip was approved by the Russian President, Russian President Vladimir PutinWith its Belarusian counterpart and main ally, Alexander Lukashenkoin April 2022.

Americans are currently on the International Space Station. Laurel O'Hara, Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominic And Janet Epps.

For a long time, The Soyuz spacecraft was the only way to reach the International Space Station. But Roscosmos has faced competition in recent years from private companies such as SpaceX, owned by billionaire Elon Musk.