Oct 11 2018
From The Space Library
RELEASE 18-089 NASA Statement on Soyuz MS-10 Launch Abort
The following is a statement about Thursday’s Soyuz MS-10 launch aboard to the International Space Station:
“The Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the International Space Station at 4:40 a.m. EDT Thursday, Oct. 11 (2:40 p.m. in Baikonur) carrying American astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin. Shortly after launch, there was an anomaly with the booster and the launch ascent was aborted, resulting in a ballistic landing of the spacecraft.
“Search and rescue teams were deployed to the landing site. Hague and Ovchinin are out of the capsule and are reported to be in good condition. They will be transported to the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia outside of Moscow.
“NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and the NASA team are monitoring the situation carefully. NASA is working closely with Roscosmos to ensure the safe return of the crew. Safety of the crew is the utmost priority for NASA. A thorough investigation into the cause of the incident will be conducted.”
MEDIA ADVISORY: M18-151 NASA to Air International Space Station Update Briefing Today
NASA will hold a news conference at noon EDT today, to provide a status update on the International Space Station following this morning’s Soyuz spacecraft abort during launch that ended with the safe landing of two Expedition 57 crew members.
The briefing will originate from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and air live on NASA TV and the agency’s website.
The Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft carrying Nick Hague of NASA and Alexey Ovchinin of the Russian space agency Roscosmos launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 4:40 a.m. EDT (2:40 p.m. Baikonur time). Shortly after launch, there was an anomaly with the booster and the ascent to orbit was aborted resulting in a ballistic landing of the spacecraft in Kazakhstan.
Search and rescue teams were deployed to the landing site, and Hague and Ovchinin were recovered from the capsule and are in good condition. They were then transported to the launch site at Baikonur, where they were greeted by their families, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, and other NASA and Roscosmos officials.
The news conference participants are:
- Kenny Todd, International Space Station Operations Integration Manager
- Reid Wiseman, Deputy Chief Astronaut
U.S. reporters who would like to cover the news conference in person must request credentials from the Johnson newsroom as soon as possible by calling 281-483-5111. Reporters who would like to participate by telephone must call the newsroom by 11:45 a.m.
Expedition 57 Commander Alexander Gerst of ESA (European Space Agency), NASA Flight Engineer Serena Auñón-Chancellor and Roscosmos Flight Engineer Sergey Prokopyev, who arrived at the station in June, were informed of the launch abort and are continuing to operate the station and conduct important scientific research.
