Soviet nuclear satellite breakup spread radioactive material over northern Canada in 1978
A Soviet nuclear-powered satellite broke up over Canada, dispersing radioactive material across a large area. Searchers found fragments reported to have lethal radioactivity, and Canada billed the Soviet Union for cleanup costs.
By DoomRadar · Published on DoomRadar .
Why it matters
The incident illustrates the wider public-safety and cross-border risks posed by nuclear-powered spacecraft failures.
Related source links
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- Hours after a Soviet nuclear satellite broke up over Canada in 1978, Moscow's ambassador said the reactor on board had been designed for complete destruction on re-entry — radioactivity had already fallen across 124,000 square kilometres of the country's north, searchers located fragments the formal claim recorded as showing "lethal radioactivity," and Ottawa billed the Soviet Union exactly C$6,041,174.70 ↗spacedaily.com · Recorded source date: Aug 29, 2026, 7:46 AM UTC
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