Searching for the “smoking gun” of the miscarried 2019 Nenoksa nuclear cruise missile test: a null result

Abstract

On August 8, 2019, an explosion of a military missile occurred at the Nenoksa (also transcribed as Nyonoksa) Missile Test Center (Russian Federation). Russian authorities confirmed a release of radioactive material in the course of this incident, which fueled rumors that it could have involved a nuclear-propelled missile of the Burevestnik/Skyfall type. In this study, our radioanalytical efforts are summarized searching for the “smoking gun” of the incident. These included the gamma-measurements of air filters from two vessels that were in some proximity to the event as well as one Greek high-volume air filter. In addition, we tested the hypothesis that radioactive 42Ar may have been used to operate a radiothermal generator. If the incident had released 42Ar, it may have become detectable by measuring characteristic gamma radiation emitted from a tank containing liquefied atmospheric argon. No traces whatsoever were found that could provide clues about the release. It is possible that the presumably small amounts of radionuclides released from either a small nuclear reactor or a powerful radionuclide source dispersed quickly over Russian territory to non-detectable levels before reaching any of our assayed samples.