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3w ago

Decades-Old Soviet Venus Probe Kosmos 482 Nears Uncontrolled Reentry

The spacecraft, stranded in orbit since 1972, is expected to reenter Earth's atmosphere between May 9 and 10, with its impact location still uncertain.

An earlier Soviet spaceship, Venera 8, that was launched toward Venus in 1972. Kosmos 482 looked similar.
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Overview

  • Kosmos 482, a Soviet Venus probe launched in 1972, failed its transfer burn and has remained in Earth orbit for 53 years due to a rocket malfunction.
  • The spacecraft is predicted to reenter Earth's atmosphere between May 9 and 10, with its landing zone anywhere between 52°N and 52°S latitude, spanning major continents and oceans.
  • Designed to withstand Venus's extreme atmosphere, the probe's heat-resistant components could survive reentry, posing a low but non-zero risk of surface impact damage akin to a small meteorite.
  • Experts are closely monitoring the probe's orbit but note that its exact reentry time and location will remain uncertain until shortly before the event.
  • The event highlights the growing challenges of space debris management, with over 1.2 million tracked objects in orbit and an average of three uncontrolled reentries daily.