International
Russian Missile Test Ends in Failure, Experts Confirm
A Russian RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile has reportedly failed during a test, according to arms experts and recent satellite imagery of the launch site.
Maxar Technologies captured satellite images on September 21 showing a large crater, approximately 60 meters (200 feet) wide, at the launch silo located at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia.
The images also revealed significant damage in the surrounding area, which was not present in earlier imagery from the same month.
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The exact cause of the damage remains unclear. It is uncertain whether the liquid-fueled Sarmat missile failed during its launch or if an accident occurred during the defueling process.
“By all indications, it was a failed test. It’s a big hole in the ground,” said Pavel Podvig, an analyst based in Geneva who runs the Russian Nuclear Forces project. “There was a serious incident with the missile and the silo.”
Russia’s defense ministry has not commented on the incident and has made no recent announcements regarding planned Sarmat tests.
The RS-28 Sarmat, also known as “Satan II,” stands 35 meters tall and has a range of 18,000 kilometers (11,000 miles). Weighing over 208 tonnes at launch, it is capable of carrying up to 16 multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle (MIRV) nuclear warheads, as well as Avangard hypersonic glide vehicles, according to Russian media reports.
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