Based on the information you provided, I cannot determine the cause. May I ask which map you are playing in?
In some worlds, fortresses spawn in sets of three. In these cases, you must destroy all enemy fortresses before you can deal damage to the nuclear missile silo.
On standard maps, fortresses spawn one by one. After 8 fortresses have been generated, the biters will begin constructing the nuclear missile silo. To destroy the silo, you must completely eliminate the fortress that houses it. (However, sometimes the visual model of the silo can obscure parts of the fortress structure. Therefore, you might think you have destroyed the fortress when you actually haven't. Please rely on the in-game text prompts for confirmation.)