Nedelin Catastrophe - Aftermath

Aftermath

Complete secrecy was immediately imposed on the events of 24 October by Nikita Khrushchev. A news release stated that Nedelin had died in a plane crash and the families of the other engineers were advised to say their loved ones had died of the same cause. Khrushchev also ordered Leonid Brezhnev to head an investigation commission and go to the site. Among other things, the commission found that many more people were present on the launch pad than should have been — most were supposed to be safely offsite in bunkers.

According to Sergei Khrushchev, Brezhnev did insist that the commission punish none, explaining that "The guilty have already been punished".

Afterwards, Yangel was asked by Nikita Khrushchev "But why have you remained alive?". Yangel answered in a trembling voice - "Walked away for a smoke. It's all my fault". Later he suffered a heart attack and was out of work for months.

After the committee presented its report, the R-16 program resumed in January 1961 with first successful flight in November. The delay to the R-16 spurred the USSR toward the development of more effective ICBMs and sparked Khrushchev's decision to install IRBMs in Cuba. Before the disaster Yangel had ambitions to challenge Sergei Korolev as leader of the Manned Space program, but he was directed to focus on the R-16.

A memorial to the dead was erected near Baikonur and is still visited by RKA officials before any manned launch.