Raduga (nuclear test) explained

Raduga
Country:Soviet Union
Test Site:Novaya Zemlya Test Range, Russian Federation
Period:October 1961
Number Of Tests:1
Test Type:Atmospheric Test
Device Type:Fusion
Max Yield:Total yield 1450ktonTNT
Previous Test:KSR-2 wh
Next Test:RDS-9

Raduga (in Russian Радуга, Rainbow) is the codename of a Soviet thermonuclear test, conducted on October 20, 1961, in Mityushikha Bay, Severny Island of Novaya Zemlya.

The test was conducted by the Northern Fleet. An R-13 missile with a thermonuclear warhead was fired from the submarine K-102. When the submarine reached the specified point in the Barents Sea, she could not establish her position due to cloudiness and snowfall. A R-13 missile without a nuclear warhead was fired first, which missed the aiming point by a wide margin. It was decided to continue the test in spite of bad weather. The second missile performed better and its miss distance was less than the previous one, and detonated at 1000m (3,000feet) height, yielding 1.45 megatons.

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73.87°N 54.35°W