In 1978, a nuclear-powered Soviet satellite crashed and scattered radiation across Canada
The 1978 crash of the Soviet satellite Kosmos 954 scattered radioactive debris across the Canadian wilderness, triggering a massive international cleanup effort and a landmark legal battle over space liability.
On January 24, 1978, the Soviet reconnaissance satellite Kosmos 954 malfunctioned and plunged into the Earth's atmosphere. Because it was powered by a nuclear reactor, its disintegration rained radioactive material over a 600-mile stretch of Canada's Northwest Territories.
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