3 mystery launches off Canada

[docm]

Looks like a whole lot of plume and duration for model rockets, so who has any idea what's going on here?

The French have been trying to diversify the local economy at St-Pierre and Miquelon (territories off Newfoundland) because the fisheries have been depleted, but is it possible they're now using it as a test range? Any rumors to that affect in the industry?

CBC.....

The Star.....

French missiles or just toy rockets? Mystery deepens in Newfoundland

Were those mysterious bulletlike objects seen in the sky off the coast of Newfoundland missiles?

Or where they, as some are suggesting, model projectiles launched by local "rocket hobbyists?"

In a case that sounds like a Hollywood science-fiction movie, locals in Harbour Mille, a small town near Newfoundland's southern coast, are buzzing over the sighting of three silver or grey objects early Monday evening.

Resident Darlene Stewart was planning to to take a picture of the sun going down around 5 p.m. But to her shock she saw the objects in the sky above Fortune Bay and called her neighbour, Emmy Pardy. Stewart took pictures of the mysterious objects.

"It was grey and silver in colour. It looked like an oversized bullet with a trail of fire behind it," Pardy told the Star.

There was no sound of an airplane's engine, she said, and three of the objects were visible for about 15 minutes.

An RCMP officer initially confirmed to Pardy in two telephone conversations that it was indeed a missile, she said.

"He said the military was made aware of this," Pardy explained, adding he told her a missile or missiles were launched from nearby St-Pierre-Miquelon, which is French territory.

But the RCMP later referred inquiries on the matter to the federal government, which said there was no missile and no evidence of anyone firing a rocket near the area.

Liberal Senator George Baker told the Star there's no way the objects were models fired by locals.
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[MeteorWayne]

Re: Mystery launches off Canada

There's already a thread on this (What is this object?) in Ask the Astronomer, will probably move this post there....

 

[tadpoletriker]

Unless I hear a convincing alternative, I pick a M51 sea launched ballistic missile test.

JohnB

 

[babea]

Yes, it looks more like an M51

 

[EarthlingX]

This M51 ? :

M51 (missile)

On 27 January 2010, at 9h25, a missile was launched underwater by the Terrible, from Audierne Bay[1]. The missile reached its target 2000 kilometres off South Carolina; the 4500 kilometre flight took about 20 minutes

An M-51 missile was fired from a submarine diving this morning

A strategic missile M-51 was fired this morning at 9:25 from the submarine Le Terrible, which was submerged in southern Finistère, in Bay Audierne. Il s'agit du premier tir à la mer de ce nouveau missile. This is the first shot at the sea of this new missile. Il s'est déroulé "avec succès" indique-t-on de source militaire. He ran "successfully" says one military source. C'est le quatrième tir d'essai du M-51, les trois premiers ayant été effectués depuis la terre. This is the fourth test firing of the M-51, the first three having been made from the earth. Les essais ont évidemment toujours lieu sans tête nucléaire. The tests were obviously not always be nuclear warhead.

 

[silylene]

Canada may consider this to be an aggressive move, being launched so close to their sovereign territory.

 

[tadpoletriker]

Canada may consider this to be an aggressive move, being launched so close to their sovereign territory.

I expect they were launched from French sovereign territory, and I would be absolutely dumbfounded if France had not consulted Canada and the US, ie NORAD, NATO, and Russia in advance. It just might also have been a message for Iran.

JohnB

 

[EarthlingX]

This M51 looks like a working Bulava ..

RIA Novosti:
Russia starts building 4th nuclear sub to carry Bulava missile

Story
Bulava missile: test-launch history

The Bulava (SS-NX-30) submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) carries up to 10 MIRV warheads and has a range of over 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles). The three-stage ballistic missile is designed for deployment on new Borey class nuclear-powered strategic submarines

..

12/01/201015:37Investigators have established that the latest test failure of the troubled Bulava ballistic missile was caused by a design flaw, rather than a faulty component, a Russian defense industry source said Tuesday.

... and more.

related, but not on topic:

Indian nuclear capable missile test (AP) :
Feb 7, 7:39 AM EST
India successfully test fires nuclear-capable missile, designed with 1,900-mile range

NEW DELHI (AP) -- India again successfully test-fired a nuclear-capable missile Sunday that can hit targets across much of Asia and the Middle East, a defense ministry press release said.

It was the fourth test of the Agni III missile, the statement added. The first attempt in 2006 failed, but the last two tests were successful.