Overview

• Kosmos-482, a Soviet spacecraft launched in 1972 on a failed Venus mission, reentered Earth's atmosphere on May 10, 2025, after decades in decaying orbit.
• Radar tracking of the half-ton descent capsule ceased over Germany, confirming its atmospheric reentry, though the exact impact location remains unverified.
• Designed to survive Venusian conditions, the titanium-encased capsule likely remained intact during reentry, but no debris has yet been recovered.
• Experts emphasized the extremely low risk of harm from the reentry, with most of Earth's surface being oceans or sparsely populated regions.
• Under international law, any recovered debris would remain the property of Russia, as the successor to the Soviet Union.