The Vela incident was a mysterious nuclear explosion near Bouvet Island in 1979, thought to be a clandestine test by South Africa or Israel. The origin remains unknown due to classified information and conflicting reports.
The Vela incident, sometimes referred to as the South Atlantic Flash, was a mysterious nuclear explosion that occurred near the remote Bouvet Island, thousands of miles south of Africa. It is thought to have been a clandestine nuclear test by the South African or Israeli government.
The Vela incident is named after the United States Vela spy satellite, which observed the characteristic double flash of a nuclear bomb in the early morning hours of September 22, 1979. In the weeks following the explosion, there was much confusion as to whether whether this really was a nuclear explosion and, if so, who did it belong to. Navy hydrophones detected acoustic disturbances similar to what one would expect if a small nuclear weapon were detonated on or just below the ocean’s surface.
Much information about the Vela incident is still classified, so it can be difficult for civilians to make a reliable estimate as to which country may have detonated the bomb. The Soviet Union or China were initially suspected, but they would have no reason to detonate a bomb in the area unless they wanted to make it look like South Africa or Israel did. A thousand kilometers away was a French nuclear testing ground, so there was also speculation that the Vela incident was the detonation of a French neutron bomb.
The explosion occurred between two and three kilotons. Although some speculate that it was actually a meteor, the scientists responsible for designing the Vela satellite are adamant that it correctly assessed the presence of the characteristic double nuclear burst. To this day there are those who believe that the Vela incident was the result of a meteorite explosion, similar to the Tunguska event in eastern Siberia.
A team sent to study the Vela incident was skeptical of its nuclear origin, pointing out that only one of the two Vela satellites detected the explosion. It may have been detected due to a malfunction caused by a small meteoroid hitting the satellite. However, many doubt the veracity of the panel’s claims, claiming they were politically motivated.
We may never find out the truth about Vela’s accident until the documents concerning it are declassified, and even then there may be insufficient information to conclude one way or the other.
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