Satellite image shows huge crater at key Roscosmos plant in Samara

A significant crater appeared inside a building at a crucial Roscosmos facility in Russia's Samara region following a Ukrainian strike on Aug. 15, as evidenced by satellite imagery shared by Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova+ on Aug. 18. The channel reported the damage from FP-5 Flamingo cruise missile strikes on Progress Rocket Space Center's Building 106A, which houses onboard electrical equipment, control systems, cable networks, and rocket instrument compartments.

Nearby Building 106B, used for final assembly, also sustained damage. The crater formed by the strike measures approximately 85 meters (279 feet) in length and 35 meters (115 feet) in width, according to analysts. Progress is Russia's sole facility for serially assembling Soyuz-2 family launch vehicles, a strategic importance due to its role in launching military reconnaissance and targeting satellites, as well as Rassvet satellites developed by Bureau 1440.

Russia has no alternative production capabilities for these vehicles. A fire was also reported at an industrial facility in Samara following the Aug. 15 attack. Initially, OSINT analysts believed the affected site might belong to the Aviakor aircraft plant or the Progress Rocket Space Center; however, subsequent reports confirmed that Ukraine had struck the Progress center with Flamingo missiles.

Progress center is responsible for producing Soyuz-2.1b launch vehicles used to deploy Rassvet satellites, Russia's planned alternative to Starlink, into orbit. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Flamingo missiles had targeted one of Roscosmos' key enterprises, specifically the Progress center, which is involved in electronics production. The facility is situated around 900 kilometers (560 miles) from the Ukrainian border.