Free Republic

Russian President Vladimir Putin has suffered an emabarassing setback as his feared Satan 2 nuclear arsenal failed four out of five missile tests, according to arms experts and satellite imagery from the launch site. High-resolution satellite images of the launch pad at Russia's Plesetsk test site, where the RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile exploded, shows extensive damage. A crater approximately 60 meters wide at the launch silo at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia, along with visible damage in the surrounding area that was not present in images taken earlier in the month. -snip- The missile's liquid-fuel engine likely exploded...

A Russian RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile likely failed during a test earlier this month, according to arms experts and satellite imagery from the launch site. Maxar satellite images from Sept. 21 show a crater about 60 meters (200 feet) wide at the launch silo at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia and damage around the area that was not visible in imagery from earlier in the month. It was not clear from the imagery if the liquid-fueled Sarmat failed during a launch or if there was an accident during defueling. “By all indications, it was a failed test. It’s...

Russia’s plans for their ‘doomsday’ hypersonic missiles have been delayed for years after the Satan-2 missile exploded during a test launch. ‌The huge detonation destroyed Russia’s only site suitable for testing the doomsday hypersonic rocket, the centrepiece of Vladimir Putin’s bragging of nuclear superiority compared to the West. ‌The explosion at Plesetsk is now known to have partially wrecked an observation building close to the launch site, with fears some of Russia’s lead rocket scientists could be dead. ‌Experts say the test programme for the rocket – also known as RS-28 Sarmat – may now be delayed for years, or...