My BS meter is pegged. Whatever that was, there was nothing ‘balistic’ about it.
A balistic missile is essentially a very advanced version of a roman candle sitting on top of a rocket. When they fail, you get an explosion, not a light show.
It didn’t look anything like a missile launch to me either. If those spirals were rocket exhaust then where are the pics of it diffusing and being swept along by wind currents into a fuzzy looking cloud of smoke?
Uhh... it depends on the nature of the failure. You're assuming that the fuel would detonate all at once. It's equally likely that once being boosted up to that altitude, the third stage engine(s) lit off and immediately gimbaled hard over and locked there. There's a video of one of our Trident missile test launches where that exact thing occurred - but right after it cleared the surface of the ocean. Instead of roman candle, think "pinwheel".