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4mo ago

Soviet-Era Kosmos-482 Spacecraft Crashes Into Indian Ocean After 53 Years in Orbit

The 1972 Venus-bound probe reentered Earth's atmosphere west of Jakarta, Indonesia, with no reported injuries or damage.

A replica of the Venera 4, the first probe to transmit data from the atmosphere of another planet., similar to the Kosmos 482 that was launched afterwards and became stuck in Earth's orbit.
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Artist's concept of a satellite reentry similar to Kosmos 482 (Credit: ESA/David Ducross/CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO)
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Overview

  • Kosmos-482, a Soviet spacecraft launched in 1972 on a failed Venus mission, reentered Earth's atmosphere on May 10, 2025, after 53 years in orbit.
  • Roscosmos confirmed the spacecraft splashed down in the Indian Ocean, approximately 560 kilometers west of Jakarta, Indonesia.
  • The probe's titanium-clad descent module, designed to survive Venus's harsh conditions, likely remained intact during reentry but caused no reported harm.
  • The spacecraft's uncontrolled descent highlighted ongoing challenges in tracking and managing space debris, with predictions narrowing only hours before reentry.
  • Under international space law, any recovered debris from Kosmos-482 remains the property of the Russian Federation as the legal successor to the Soviet Union.