Debris from the satellite was deposited on Canadian territory, including portions of the Northwest Territories, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, along a 600 kilometre (370 mile) path from Great Slave Lake to Baker Lake. In an attempt to recover radioactive material, a search was conducted covering a total of 124,000 square kilometres (48,000 square miles).
The USSR claimed that the satellite had been completely destroyed during re-entry. The subsequent recovery effort, named Operation Morning Light, by a joint Canadian and American team swept the area by foot and air in Phase I from 24 Jan 1978 to 20 Apr 1978 and Phase II from 21 April 1978 to 15 October 1978. They were ultimately able to recover 12 large pieces of the satellite. All but two fragments recovered were radioactive. These pieces displayed radioactivity of up to 1.1 sievert's per hour, yet they only comprised an estimated 1 percent of the fuel. One fragment had the (lethal) radiation of 500 R/h, which is 100 times higher than the maximum annual (per-person) radiation level of 5 rem. For these recovery efforts, the Canadian government billed the Soviet Union $6,041,174.70 for actual expenses and additional compensation for future unpredicted expenses.