Roscosmos Subsidiary Says Fixed Issues With Launching Pad At Baikonur Cosmodrome

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th September, 2020) Russia's Center for Operation of Space Ground-Based Infrastructure (TsENKI), a part of Roscosmos State Space Corporation, has fixed the technical issues at Baikonur Cosmodrome that emerged prior to the July launch of Progress MS-15 spacecraft, the center announced on Friday.

In July, days before the launch, an electric motor of mechanical jack in the second level of the load-bearing structure in the launch facility went dead and had to be replaced with a spare so that the launch could take place on schedule.

"Specialists of the TsENKI - Yuzhny [Southern] Space Center have replaced four electric jacks of the load-bearing structure in the Vostok launching site at Baikonur Cosmodrome (launching pad 31)," the center said specifically naming the July incident as the reason.

The replacement was done ahead of the launch of the Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft, which is scheduled for October 14.

Mechanical jacks are responsible for keeping a rocket in a vertical position for pre-launch and launch procedures.