On 22 September 2024, defense related media reported that an RS-28 test at Plesetsk Cosmodrome had failed. They cited Planet Labs imagery from the previous day showing fire trucks near a destroyed launch silo and NASA's FIRMS data confirming a fire at the location.[39][40][41]
As of 24 September 2024 Russian authorities had not commented on the test. Maxar imagery also from 21 September showed a 62 m (203 ft) wide crater where the launch silo had been. September 19 saw cancellation of warnings issued some days before that pilots should avoid the airspace along a planned missile launch from Plesetsk Cosmodrome.
Analysts interpreted this to mean that on September 19 or 20 a test failed in or on top of the launch silo. The failure could be the missile either exploding during ignition or failing back into or near the launch silo and then exploding or possibly that a September 19 launch was scrubbed with subsequent defueling leading to an explosion.