The Vela Incident
A US satellite recorded a double flash of light over a remote ocean, the signature of a nuclear test, but no country ever claimed it.
What was reported
On 22 September 1979, the US satellite Vela 6911, built to detect nuclear explosions, recorded a 'double flash' of light over the remote far south of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, near South Africa's Prince Edward Islands. That pattern had only ever been seen from nuclear tests.
No country announced a test. A panel of scientists appointed by the White House concluded in 1980 that the signal was probably not a nuclear explosion.
Explanations offered
The panel suggested a small meteoroid striking the satellite might have caused a false reading. Many others, including some US intelligence analysts, have argued it was a secret nuclear test, most often attributed to Israel, perhaps with South Africa; both have denied it. There has been no official confirmation either way.
- When
- 22 September 1979
- Where
- South Atlantic Ocean, near the Prince Edward Islands
- Witnesses
- A US Vela satellite
- Status
- Disputed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.