The United States Air Force Launched An Athena V‑123‑D Missile From Green River Launch Complex In Utah. This Missile Was Part Of The Advanced Ballistic Re‑Entry System Program, Designed To Test Re‑Entry Vehicles For Potential Use On Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. The Missile Was Intended To Follow A Flight Path Ending At White Sands Missile Range In New Mexico, Where Tracking And Data Systems Were Positioned To Monitor Its Descent.
Shortly After Launch, The Missile’s Fourth Stage Ignited Prematurely, Causing A Major Deviation From Its Intended Trajectory. Instead Of Heading Southeast Toward White Sands, The Missile Continued Southward, Flying Approximately 400 Nautical Miles Past Its Designated Target Area. Radar Stations Lost Contact With The Missile Once It Dropped Below The Horizon, Making Immediate Impact Assessment Difficult.
Subsequent Reports From The National Security Council, Including A Memorandum By Henry Kissinger, Confirmed That The Missile Had Landed In The Mapimí Desert In Durango, Mexico. The Distance From The U.S.–Mexico Border To The Impact Site Measured Between 180 And 200 Miles. The Incident Was Classified As A Flight Failure Caused By An “Abnormal Re‑Entry Into The Atmosphere.”
The Re‑Entry Vehicle Was Carrying Two Containers Of Cobalt‑57, A Radioactive Isotope Used As A Tracer For Studying Fallout Patterns. Though Not A Fissionable Material, The Presence Of Cobalt‑57 Raised Concerns Due To Its Radiological Properties. The Discovery Prompted A Coordinated Recovery Mission Led By U.S. Personnel In Cooperation With Mexican Authorities.
A U.S. Search Team Deployed To The Mapimí Region To Locate The Capsule. They Used Aerial Detection Tools, Including Scintillometers And Radiation Survey Instruments, To Identify The Impact Area. After Several Weeks, The Team Located A Crater And Recovered Fragments Of The Missile’s Nosecone. The Area Showed Minor Levels Of Radiation Contamination, Which Were Contained Within A Limited Radius.
Soil Samples Taken At The Site Confirmed Low‑Level Radioactivity. As A Precaution, The United States Removed Contaminated Soil And Transported It Back To A Secure Facility For Disposal. The Cleanup Effort Required The Construction Of A Temporary Road Through Rough Desert Terrain. Barrels Of Earth Were Collected And Hauled Out In A Process That Lasted Until Early October 1970.
The Incident Highlighted Safety And Diplomatic Challenges Associated With Missile Testing Near International Borders. It Was Not The First Time A U.S. Missile Had Crossed Into Mexican Territory—A Pershing Missile Had Done So In 1967—But The Presence Of Radioactive Material Gave The 1970 Event Greater Urgency. The Mexican Government Voiced Its Concerns About The Risk To Its Citizens And Called For Improved Communication And Prevention Measures.
In The United States, The Accident Led To A Reevaluation Of Missile Testing Protocols. The Athena Program Had Previously Been Suspended In 1968 Due To Several Failures But Was Resumed Later That Year After A Series Of Successful Flights. The 1970 Incident, However, Reignited Concerns Over Range Safety And The Reliability Of Guidance Systems.
The Athena Missile Itself Was A Four‑Stage Solid‑Fueled Rocket. Its First Two Stages Carried The Vehicle To An Altitude Of Nearly 200 Kilometers. The Final Two Stages Propelled The Re‑Entry Vehicle Toward Earth At Speeds Over 15,000 Miles Per Hour. Ground‑Based Radar Systems At White Sands Were Tasked With Tracking These High‑Velocity Descents To Study Heat Shielding And Structural Endurance.
Following The 1970 Misfire, The U.S. Military Implemented Stricter Controls On Flight Paths And Termination Protocols. Enhancements Were Made To Tracking Systems, And Redundant Safeguards Were Introduced To Prevent Overflights Into Civilian Or Foreign Areas. The Incident Was Used As A Case Study In Range Safety Procedures And International Risk Management During The Cold War Era.
The Site Of The Crash Later Gained A Reputation Beyond Its Historical Significance. The Mapimí Desert Became Associated With Myths And Folklore, Including Claims Of Electromagnetic Anomalies And UFO Sightings. Though These Claims Emerged Years After The Incident, The Athena Crash Played A Central Role In Drawing Public And Scientific Attention To The Region.
In Retrospect, The July 11, 1970 Athena Missile Accident Was A Notable Moment In U.S. Missile Testing History. It Underscored The Importance Of Safe Test Ranges, Highlighted The Diplomatic Sensitivities Inherent To Military Operations Near Foreign Borders, And Prompted Reforms That Strengthened Oversight Of High‑Risk Experimental Programs.
References / More Knowledge:
Barclay, Michael. “USAF Accidentally Launched Rocket Into Mexico’s Mapimí Desert 45 Years Ago.” National Security Archive Blog, July 13, 2015.
Gizmodo
Eckles, Jim. “In 1970, An Athena Missile Went Deep Into Mexico.” White Sands Missile Range Museum, Nov. 10, 2021.
Commonplace Fun Facts
Commonplace Fun Facts. “The Accidental Missile Launch Into Mexico.” Oct. 26, 2022.
Gizmodo. “1970, The Year We Accidentally Bombed Mexico (Again).” Mar. 6, 2015.
White Sands Missile Range Museum
Atlas Obscura. “Exploring Mexico’s Zone Of Silence, Where Radio Signals Fail…”
unredacted.com
Wikipedia. “Athena RTV.”