spacetoday.net: Russia plans to resume crewed Soyuz launches in December

Posted: Sun, Nov 4, 2018, 9:00 AM ET (1400 GMT)
Soyuz MS-07 launch (NASA)

Russian officials said Thursday that they're ready to resume crewed Soyuz launches in December after tracking down the cause of last month's launch failure. Investigators said a side booster failed to separate properly because a sensor was bent by about six degrees when the booster was installed on the rocket. The booster collided with the rocket's second stage, sending it into a tumble and forcing the Soyuz spacecraft to abort. The accident investigation commission says that it has developed new guidelines and checks to ensure that future Soyuz rockets do not run into similar problems. Two Soyuz rockets planned for upcoming launches this month will be reassembled to check for similar defects. If those launches are successful, the next crewed Soyuz launch, of the Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft, is scheduled for December 3.