Kosmos 954
Kosmos 954 (Russian: Космос 954) was a reconnaissance satellite launched by the Soviet Union in 1977. A malfunction prevented safe separation of its onboard nuclear reactor; when the satellite reentered the Earth's atmosphere the following year, it scattered radioactive debris over northern Canada, some of the debris landing in the Great Slave Lake next to Fort Resolution, NWT.
Sketch of Kosmos 954 | |
| Mission type | Reconnaissance |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1977-090A |
| SATCAT no. | 10361 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Launch mass | 3,800 kg (8,400 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 13:55:00, 18 September 1977 (UTC) |
| Rocket | Tsyklon-2 |
| Launch site | Tyuratam |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 24 January 1978 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Eccentricity | 0.00135 |
| Perigee altitude | 259 km (161 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 277 km (172 mi) |
| Inclination | 65° |
| Period | 89.6 min |
| Epoch | 18 September 1977 |
This prompted an extensive multiyear cleanup operation known as Operation Morning Light. The Canadian government billed the Soviet Union for over 6 million Canadian dollars under the terms of the Outer Space Treaty, which obligates states for damages caused by their space objects. The USSR eventually paid 3 million Canadian dollars in compensation.
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