Missile Satan or Sarmat explodes in Russia: Satellite images reveal
Photo: intercontinental missile Satan or Sarmat exploded in Russia (Russian media)
An intercontinental ballistic missile RS-28 Satan or possibly Sarmat has exploded in Russia, as indicated by satellite images, according to Defense Express and OSINT analysts.
On Saturday, September 21, Ukrainian forces attacked the 23rd arsenal of the Russian Ministry of Defense’s Main Artillery Directorate in the Tver region and the Tikhoretsk arsenal in Krasnodar Krai. There were reports online suggesting that Ukrainian troops destroyed the Russian intercontinental ballistic missile RS-28 Satan or even Sarmat. However, this has not been confirmed by the General Staff.
On September 22, analysts presented satellite images indicating that an RS-28 missile did indeed detonate in Russia, but this is not related to yesterday's attacks.
OSINT analyst MT_Anderson released a satellite image of the Russian Plesetsk cosmodrome, illustrating the results of an unsuccessful test of the Russian intercontinental ballistic missile, likely occurring between September 20 and 22, 2024.
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The missile launch occurred from a silo launch facility. The launch was unsuccessful and ended in a massive explosion, leaving only a crater at the launch site.
According to Defense Express, the explosion of an intercontinental missile during a test launch is a disaster. The previous incident took place in October 1960 at the Baikonur cosmodrome during the first test launch of the R-16 intercontinental ballistic missile.
What we know about the Sarmat missile
The Sarmat is a fifth-generation strategic missile system with a heavy intercontinental ballistic missile based in silos. Russia announced a successful launch in spring 2022 and claimed to have put the Sarmat into service later that same year.
This liquid-fueled missile has a flight range of 18,000 km, a launch weight of over 208 tons, a length of 35.3 meters, and a diameter of 3 meters. It is capable of carrying up to 10 tons of payload in various combinations of warheads.
For more details on the Sarmat missile and other Russian strategic weapons, see the article from RBC-Ukraine.
