Sightings1978

Cosmos 954 nuclear satellite falls over northern Canada

When: 24 Jan 1978
Where: Yellowknife, Canada
Sources: 2 public sources

Searchers from Operation Morning Light, the recovery of Cosmos 954 debris in northern Canada Federal Government of the United States, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Soviet reactor-powered satellite Cosmos 954 reentered over western Canada and scattered radioactive debris across the Northwest Territories. Residents of Yellowknife and Hay River described a burning object trailing pieces; a joint U.S.-Canadian search followed. An identified sky event.

Sources

OfficialCanada: Claim against the USSR for damage caused by Soviet Cosmos 954 (statement of claim and 1981 settlement) (opens in a new tab)Government of Canada (text hosted by JAXA space law library) / 1981
PressNation: Cosmos 954: An Ugly Death (opens in a new tab)TIME / 1978-02-06

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Where it fits

Earlier in SightingsPetrozavodsk phenomenon20 Sep 1977 Later in SightingsReports of an object falling near Tarija, BoliviaMay 1978

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