Non-exhaustive list of high altitude explosive testings whose debris may have exceeded the Earth’s escape velocity and reached heliocentric orbit.
Note that debris from all seven explosions made before 1959 are strong candidates for being the first artificial objects ever sent away from Earth orbit, especially the three Argus testings above 200 km altitude, which is twice the threshold set for space: at that altitude escape velocity is easy to achieve for debris from a nuclear explosion. However, it is probable that the material has been vaporized to dust.
19 tests have been identified.
| COSPAR ID | name | type | mission | yield (kt) | altitude (km) | quantity | status | date/epoch (UTC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NONE | SHAPED CHARGES (3 DETONATED) | Shrapnel | ARTIFICIAL METEOR | 85 | scattered | exploded | October 16, 1957 | |
| NONE | NUCLEAR BOMB | Shrapnel | HARDTRACK I - YUCCA | 1.7 | 26.2 | scattered | exploded | April 28, 1958 |
| NONE | NUCLEAR BOMB | Shrapnel | HARDTRACK I - TEAK | 3800 | 76.8 | scattered | exploded | August 1, 1958 |
| NONE | NUCLEAR BOMB | Shrapnel | HARDTRACK I - ORANGE | 3800 | 34 | scattered | exploded | August 12, 1958 |
| NONE | NUCLEAR BOMB | Shrapnel | ARGUS I | 1.7 | 200 | scattered | exploded | August 27, 1958 |
| NONE | NUCLEAR BOMB | Shrapnel | ARGUS II | 1.7 | 240 | scattered | exploded | August 30, 1958 |
| NONE | NUCLEAR BOMB | Shrapnel | ARGUS III | 1.7 | 540 | scattered | exploded | September 6, 1958 |
| NONE | NUCLEAR BOMB | Shrapnel | TEST NO.88 - GROZA (JOE 79) | 10.5 | 22.7 | scattered | exploded | September 6, 1961 |
| NONE | NUCLEAR BOMB | Shrapnel | TEST NO.115 - GROM (JOE 98) | 40 | 41.3 | scattered | exploded | October 6, 1961 |
| NONE | NUCLEAR BOMB | Shrapnel | TEST NO.127 - K PROJECT K2 (JOE 109) | 1.2 | 150 | scattered | exploded | October 27, 1961 |
| NONE | NUCLEAR BOMB | Shrapnel | TEST NO.128 - K PROJECT K1 (JOE 105) | 1.2 | 300 | scattered | exploded | October 27, 1961 |
| NONE | NUCLEAR BOMB | Shrapnel | DOMINIC (FISHBOWL) - STAR FISH PRIME | 1400 | 400 | scattered | exploded | July 9, 1962 |
| NONE | NUCLEAR BOMB | Shrapnel | DOMINIC (FISHBOWL) - CHECKMATE | 7 | 147 | scattered | exploded | October 20, 1962 |
| NONE | NUCLEAR BOMB | Shrapnel | TEST NO.184 - K PROJECT K3 (JOE 157) | 300 | 290 | scattered | exploded | October 22, 1962 |
| NONE | NUCLEAR BOMB | Shrapnel | DOMINIC (FISHBOWL) - BLUEGILL TRIPLE PRIME | 410 | 50 | scattered | exploded | October 26, 1962 |
| NONE | NUCLEAR BOMB | Shrapnel | TEST NO.187 - K PROJECT K4 (JOE 160) | 300 | 150 | scattered | exploded | October 28, 1962 |
| NONE | NUCLEAR BOMB | Shrapnel | TEST NO.195 - K PROJECT K5 (JOE 168) | 300 | 59 | scattered | exploded | November 1, 1962 |
| NONE | NUCLEAR BOMB | Shrapnel | DOMINIC (FISHBOWL) - KINGFISH | 410 | 97 | scattered | exploded | November 1, 1962 |
| NONE | NUCLEAR BOMB | Shrapnel | DOMINIC (FISHBOWL) - TIGHTROPE | 5 | 21 | scattered | exploded | November 3, 1962 |