Recent satellite imagery has uncovered evidence of a significant incident involving Russia’s RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, known as Satan II. The images, captured by Maxar on September 21, show a crater approximately 60 meters (200 feet) wide at the launch silo located at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia. This damage was not present in earlier images from the month, leading experts to believe that the missile likely failed during a test.
Analyst Pavel Podvig, who operates the Russian Nuclear Forces project in Geneva, remarked, “By all indications, it was a failed test. It’s a big hole in the ground. There was a serious incident with the missile and the silo.” However, it remains unclear whether the Sarmat missile failed during launch or if the damage occurred during the defueling process.
The Russian defense ministry has not responded to inquiries regarding this incident and has made no recent announcements about upcoming Sarmat tests.
The RS-28 Sarmat missile boasts a range of 18,000 kilometers (11,000 miles) and a launch weight exceeding 208 tonnes. It is designed to carry up to 16 multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle (MIRV) nuclear warheads, as well as some Avangard hypersonic glide vehicles, according to Russian media sources.
As the situation develops, experts continue to monitor Russia’s missile testing program and its implications for global security.
Sources by Agencies
