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Live Stream - Soyuz Rocket Malfunctions, Emergency Rescue Under Way

The booster rockets carrying the Soyuz MS-10 capsule into space with two astronauts on-board malfunction and emergency landing is under way, various reports claim.
Soyuz rocket malfunctions, crew not in danger, says NASA 1 photo
Photo: nasaspaceflight.com
Launched on October 11 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Soyuz MS-10 capsule carrying American astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksey Ovchinin is currently attempting an emergency landing following booster failure.

Initial information is that the crew of the capsule is not in danger and the Soyuz is in "ballistic descent mode." According to Space.com, helicopters have been dispactched to look for the capsule.

There is no official information on what exactly the problem was, but apparently the booster of the Soyuz failed to detach.

"Confirming again that the today's Soyuz MS10 launch did go into a ballistic re-entry mode a little bit after its launch around 3:47 a.m Central Time," NASA spokesperson Brandi Dean said during the live airing of the launch.

"That means the crew will not be going to the International Space Station today. Instead they'll be taking a sharp landing, coming back to Earth."

"The crew is returning to Earth in a ballistic descent mode. Teams are working to obtain additional information from our Russian partners,"
NASA said, adding that Mission Control is in contact with the astronauts and it would take about an hour and a half to get to them.

The failed launch of the Soyuz comes at a time of heightened tensions between the Americans and the Russians over the hole that caused an oxygen leak on the International Space Station.

Using various media publications, the Russians have accused the Americans of sabotaging one of the Soyuz capsules to get a sick astronaut back to Earth earlier than expected.

The recovery efforts are currently being live streamed on NASA's official Youtube channel, and you can watch it below.

UPDATE 1: the capsule is said to have landed, emergency responders en route.

UPDATE 2: the two astronauts have been recovered and they are safe.

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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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