How do you launch a nuke in Fallout 76?

The steps required to launch a nuke in Fallout 76 are as follows:

• You must join 'The Enclave' in order to gain access to the Whitespring Bunker

• Complete both the 'Back to Basic' and 'Officer on Deck' missions to gain access to the Whitespring Bunker Command Center

• You must then head inside Whitespring Bunker which will start the 'I am become Death' mission.

• Then you must acquire a Nuclear Keycard. You can get these by shooting down a Cargobot and picking the lock of the Secure Transport Container. You can find cargobots at random locations throughout the map, but the location of one should be added to your map when you start the mission.

• Once you have the Keycard, get eight letter and number and combinations from high level Scorched or Feral Ghoul officers. The codes look like this:

The locations of the ghoul officers can be found on a terminal in the Enclave Command Centre at the Whitespring Bunker on a terminal.

• Once you have your Keycard and 8 Launch Codes you need to decode the launch codes. The most simple way to do this is probably to get the launch codes from reddit (as the launch codes are the same for everyone, though they change every week), use a decrypter, or use this step by step guide which appears to have gotten a good response. (To decrypt the codes yourself I believe you have to head to the corresponding silo so see the next step)

• Now head to the corresponding silo. There are five steps for you to follow in the silo:

  • Step 1
    • Acquire a biometric card ID
    • Find an old biometric ID card
    • Erase the old biometric ID Card
    • Acquire your Biometric Data
    • Create your biometric ID Card
    • Register your biometric ID Card
  • Step 2
    • Head for the control room
    • Access the terminal to shut down the reactors
    • Repair all of the leaking pipes
    • Restart the Reactor
  • Step 3
    • Destroy the Mainframe Cores
  • Step 4
    • Head for the control room
    • Replace the Mainframe cores
    • Open the Security Door
  • Step 5
    • Head for the Control Room
    • Initiate the launch prep
    • Complete the launch prep
    • Defend the Section Chiefs
    • Insert your nuclear keycard into the INSERT KEYCARD here machine
    • Insert your code into the Launch Code Entry Panel
    • Pick your target
    • Launch the Nuke

Enjoy the view!

Sources:

https://www.reddit.com/r/fo76/comments/9ygyy9/stepbystep_guide_to_decrypting_launch_codes/

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-12-21-fallout-76-nuke-codes-launch-codes-5076

https://nukacrypt.com/

https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/how-to/game/launch-nukes-in-fallout-76-3687092/

https://gameranx.com/features/id/165511/article/fallout-76-how-to-launch-nukes-nuclear-silo-launch-codes-guide/