VELA Satellite

VELA Satellite refers to a series of U.S. nuclear detection satellites. On September 22, 1979, a VELA satellite recorded two distinctive bright flashes of light over the South Indian Ocean, which was considered probable evidence of a nuclear explosion. VELA satellites had seen similar flashes on forty-one previous occasions, and in each case, it was subsequently determined that a nuclear explosion had taken place.¹

The sighting was digitally relayed to the headquarters of the AFTAC. This event, suspected to be a joint Israeli-South African nuclear test, created a significant political dilemma for President Jimmy Carter. The Ruina panel, tasked with studying the VELA data, concluded that the signal was "probably not from a nuclear explosion," suggesting it might have been a "zoo event" or a meteoroid impact. However, the NIP, a highly classified nuclear intelligence group, concluded that a low-yield nuclear weapon had most certainly been detonated, and were dismayed by White House interference in the investigation.¹