Starfish Prime was a 1962 high-altitude nuclear test conducted by the US as part of Operation Dominic. The explosion caused an electromagnetic pulse that damaged electronic devices in Hawaii and ruined seven satellites. The test released energy into Earth’s radiation belts, leading to the launch of more delicate measuring satellites.
Starfish Prime was a high-altitude nuclear test conducted by the United States on July 9, 1962 at Johnston Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 1400 km (870 mi) southwest of the Hawaiian Islands. Starfish Prime was conducted as part of Operation Dominic. Johnston Atoll was chosen as the test site due to its relative isolation.
Operation Dominic was the largest series of nuclear tests ever conducted by the United States, with a total of 105 bombs detonated at various altitudes. At the time, Cold War paranoia was at its height and the US was rapidly rushing to develop missiles capable of striking the heart of Russia from Allied launch pads in the UK. Starfish Prime was just one such test.
Launched aboard a Thor rocket (an intermediate-range ballistic missile) was a W49 thermonuclear warhead with a design yield of 1.44 megatons. The warhead exploded 400km (250 miles) above the island, well above the international definition of outer space, which is just 100km above the surface. The electromagnetic pulse generated knocked out numerous electronic devices in nearby Hawaii, setting off burglar alarms, breaking three hundred street lamps, wreaking havoc with radios and televisions, and melting power lines. The explosion created an artificial aurora that lasted for seven minutes and could be seen as far away as Samoa, 3200 km (2000 mi) away.
Due to the lack of air at the altitude where Starfish Prime was set up, there were no fireballs, although a number of other malevolent effects occurred, some planned, some not. Three weeks earlier, in another test associated with Operation Dominic, Bluegill Prime, the Thor booster failed and the test had to be aborted, showering radioactive metal on Johnston Atoll.
During this test, Starfish Prime was successful, but it released so much energy into the Earth’s radiation belts that the delicate electronics on seven satellites were ruined, totaling 1/3 of all satellites in low Earth orbit that time. moment. Since there is no way to measure the radiation in the Earth’s inner radiation belts, this has led to the launch of more delicate measuring satellites. Starfish Prime’s high-energy electrons are said to have lingered in the atmosphere for up to five years.
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