Failure of rocket (ICBM?) in Dombarosvsky aka Yasny, near Oremburg in Russia

[eeergo]

A day after the Soyuz PU-6 debacle in Kazakhstan, more rocketry woes for Russia now in their own bases:

https://bsky.app/profile/anatolyzak.bsky.social/post/3m6p4pky3ls2j

A rocket fails at Dombarovsky (Yasny) launch site, which is home for R-36M and UR-100NU ICBMs: https://russianspaceweb.com/dombarovskiy.html#twentyfive

Strange things were happening today over the Yasny test site near Orenburg, - Exilenova
Purple smoke rose there, probably after a rocket exploded. There is an assumption that the launch went wrong and the rocket exploded in the air.



Attached video showing a low-altitude black smoke trail caused by a blazing falling object, with a dust cloud nearby evidencing the launch point. The blazing object eventually reaches the ground and explodes in a fireball that cools off to a black smoke mushroom cloud.

[JetProp]

At Yasny there are two old types of ICBM:
- 15A35, including new maneuvring return vehicle 15U71;
- 15A18M.
It is old missiles and failure can be.
But. But at previous year silo of 15A28 was damaged at 1st main test spaceport. So, there are news about placing of 15A28 at... Yasny!.. So, tests of 15A28 from Yasny is logical.
Judging by all appearances: 1) Cloud at the launch site. 2) Point of failure. Very similar to some kind of explosion—like an engine explosion. The fall time was somewhere between 9 and 11 seconds. That is, the rocket flew up 400 to 600 meters. Apparently, some kind of failure in the engines, but not related to the launch (i.e., cavitation is ruled out). This could be, for example, destruction of the turbopump blades, contact of the rotor with the turbopump stator, etc.

[JetProp]

If we see to picture from my previous post, ve can see (1) - smoke at launc site.
Launch of 15A35 is gas dynamic type, at working engines from silo. It is giving big plume of nitrogen tetraoxide by red colour. You can see this here.
So... we doesn't see red smoke. There are two wariants - 15A18M and15A28. 15A18M is old and need to stay at silos and waiting of replasement from 15A28.
15A28 need tests, becose only first launch was sucessful.
So, 15A28 is most relative to this cade, I think.

[JetProp]

Full video with launch moment.

[eeergo]

Full video with launch moment.

So not black smoke, it's actually red as in N2O4+hydrazine.

In this awesome video it can also be seen that guidance was trying to overcome some attitude problem until it either was overwhelmed by the rates (flamey end pointing mostly upwards), or reached a safe abort distance to avoid falling back on the pad (in Russian vehicles, leading to MECO).

Also, no idea if this is usual in ICBMs or not, but you can see how the payload/warhead/MIRVs (?) separate from the rocket at apogee with a sizeable puff of grey smoke (indicating solids) and fall separately to the ground - maybe a safeguard for live warheads to attempt to avoid having them go off in the blaze?

[JetProp]

So not black smoke, it's actually red as in N2O4+hydrazine.

Ohhh... We can see same colour at launch of "Dnepr" launch vehicle (make in base of 15A18 ICBM). This colour od desert dust.
I think, it is not 15A35 - colour of smoke of 15A35 more intensive orange. 
(I add comparison of colors of smoke near silo and smoke after explosion. We can see that smoke is orange - this is colour of NTO. So, smoke near silo not so bright - and as I think this is argument, that it is not of 15A35 launch.)

Also, no idea if this is usual in ICBMs or not, but you can see how the payload/warhead/MIRVs (?) separate from the rocket at apogee with a sizeable puff of grey smoke (indicating solids)

I think it is moment of launch of small solid rocket engines, that separate of payload firing. So, you can see this engines at 15A18M and 15A28 firings.

[Star One]

Moving this article here as it’s more appropriate in this thread.

https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/12/the-missile-meant-to-strike-fear-in-russias-enemies-fails-once-again/