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Developing…
A Russian-built Soyuz MS-10 carrying a crew to the International Space Station failed in mid-air and the space travelers had to make an emergency landing back to Earth. The crew seems to be safe and rescue teams are enroute to the landing area. Officials are in radio contact with the astronaut and cosmonaut. The rocket launched from Baikonur, Kazakhstan.
NASA has rolling updates on the situation here…
A booster rocket carrying a Soyuz spacecraft with a Russian and U.S. astronaut on board headed for the International Space Station failed mid-air on Thursday, forcing the crew to make an emergency landing.
The rocket was carrying U.S. astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexei Ovchinin. Footage from inside the Soyuz showed the two men being shaken around at the moment the failure occurred, with their arms and legs flailing, reported The Moscow Times.
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The two men were forced to abort their mission on the cusp of space, at an altitude of approximately 50km (164,000ft). They landed safely in Kazakhstan after a ‘ballistic re-entry’, during which they experienced forces of up to 7G, reported The Daily Mail.
No response from the Soyuz crew for the last few minutes. No information about the status of the Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft. https://t.co/enHWAt44Qw via @jeff_foust pic.twitter.com/gWulnbcYK2
— Liveuamap (@Liveuamap) October 11, 2018
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