- During a test launch of the intercontinental missile Bulava on December 9th, the motor of the missil’s third stage malfunctioned, the MInistry of Defense’s press service informs according to ITAR-TASS.
The missile was launched from submerged position in the White Sea by the nuclear submarine “Dmitri Donskoy”. Studies of the telemetric data from the launch show that the two first stages of the missile functioned as they should, and that a technical malfunctioning occured during the third stage, the information reads.
Earlier today leading Russian media claimed that the strange light phenomenon that could be seen from large parts of Northern Norway yesterday morning in fact was a result of a failed missile launch from the White Sea, but had not been able to get any official confirmation on the theory.
A source in the military-industrial complex told newspaper Vedomosti that Russia yesterday conducted the 13. test launch of a Bulava missile, and that the launch was partially successful. The first two stages of the missile functioned well, but problems occurred with the third stage. In the earlier failed launches, problems occurred already at the first stage of the missile, the newspaper reports.
According to newspaper Kommersant, both the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Navy Headquarters and the Federal Space agency reject confirming even that a test launch did take place yesterday.
A source in the administration in the town of Severodvinsk, where the submarine used as platform for testing of the Bulava missiles is based, told Kommersant that the strategic nuclear submarine “Dmitri Donskoy”, the only sub capable of conducting such tests, left base on Monday for test launches from the sea.
As BarentsObserver reported yesterday, several Norwegian space and defense experts believe that the giant spiral shaped light that could be seen in the eastern sky for several minutes on Wednesday morning was caused by a failed missile launch from the White Sea.
The Bulava missile test Wednesday morning has been rescheduled several times. Last Bulava test from the submarine “Dmitri Donskoy” was on July 15. That test failed and the missile self-destructed soon after launch due to a defective steering system in its first stage. Next test-launch was slated for November 24, as reported by BarentsObserver, but was then postponded.
Watch 3D simulation of a possible explanation of the spiral shaped light on YouTube
