Nuclear Satellite Crashes in Canada

1978: The Soviet satellite Kosmos 954 was a RADAR satellite with a nuclear reactor. As the orbit of the satellite began to decay, the nuclear reactor was supposed to detach and launch into a higher safe orbit so it would not present a threat to the Earth. However, the separation failed, and the it went down with the satellite. It would eventually break up and spread nuclear material across northern Canada, including the Northwest Territories, and northern Alberta and Saskatchewan. A dozen pieces were eventually found, most of which were radioactive. The USSR would eventually pay three million dollars in compensation.