Russia suspends assemblage of next Soyuz-FG launch vehicle

All works with the Soyuz-FG booster that has been prepared for the launch of the Progress MS-10 cargo spacecraft have been suspended because it may have the same defects as the Soyuz-FG that failed on Thursday and it may help the investigation into the incident, a source in the space industry said on Saturday.

"The Soyuz-FG rocket designed for the launch of Progress MS-10 has been already assembled into a stack (the first and second stages of the rocket) at the Baikonur (cosmodrome)... A considerable number of checks have already been made. All works with the rocket have been suspended and not because launches have been forbidden - it is not prohibited to make preparations after all - but because it may have the same defects as the rocket that malfunctioned and it could help the investigation," the source said.

The launch of the Progress MS-10 cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) was scheduled to take place on October 31, however, the launch was postponed to November following the failed liftoff of the Soyuz MS-10 on Thursday that used the same booster.