Last week, the Russian military was set to conduct a test flight of a Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. However, images captured by commercial satellites over the weekend indicated that the missile might have exploded either before or during its launch.
This marks at least the second failure of an RS-28 Sarmat missile in less than two years, undermining Russia’s nuclear capabilities shortly after a high-ranking Russian official made a thinly-veiled threat. They suggested the missile could be used against Europe if the West supported Ukraine’s deployment of long-range weapons against Russia.
Images from commercial satellites, gathered by companies like Maxar and Planet, depicted the before and after scenes at the Sarmat missile’s launch facility at Plesetsk, located approximately 500 miles north of Moscow. Maxar’s satellite imagery from Saturday showed clear signs of destruction at the site, including a significant crater right at the entrance of the underground silo.
The crater measured about 200 feet across, according to George Barros, a Russia and geospatial intelligence analyst at the Institute for the Study of War. “There is visible extensive damage at and around the launch pad, indicating that the missile likely exploded shortly after ignition or during launch,” Barros noted on X.
“Additionally, lingering small fires were observed in the forest east of the launch complex, and four fire trucks were spotted near the ruined silo,” he continued.
The Sarmat missile is the largest ICBM in Russia’s arsenal, standing 115 feet tall. It has the capability to deliver nuclear warheads to targets over 11,000 miles away, making it the missile with the longest range globally. This three-stage missile utilizes hypergolic hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide propellants and is manufactured by the Makeyev Design Bureau. Known also as Satan II, the Sarmat replaces the older R-36M missile developed during the Cold War.
According to Russian sources, the Sarmat is capable of carrying up to 10 large warheads, 16 smaller ones, or a mix of warheads and countermeasures, or even hypersonic boost-glide vehicles, as noted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies on its website.
Revealing a Hidden Mishap
It remains unclear precisely when the explosion happened. Russia had issued notices last week advising pilots to avoid airspace along the trajectory of the planned missile launch from Plesetsk Cosmodrome. Similar advisories had been issued before earlier Sarmat tests, hinting at another imminent launch. However, these warnings were retracted on Thursday, just two days before the satellite imagery revealed the devastation at the launch site.
“The launch might have been attempted on September 19th, with the fires continuing for over 24 hours,” suggested Pavel Podvig, a senior researcher at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research in Geneva, on his Russian Nuclear Forces blog. “Alternatively, the test could have been aborted on the 19th, and the mishap might have occurred during the missile’s subsequent defueling. The nature of the destruction suggests that the explosion occurred within the silo itself.”
James Acton, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, commented on X that the imagery showing the before and after state of the Sarmat silo was “quite convincing that a significant explosion took place.”
I am Sofia, a tech-savvy journalist and passionate member of the “Jason Deegan” team. Growing up, I was always fascinated by the latest technological advancements and loved sharing my knowledge with others.