Overview

• Kosmos-482, a Soviet Venus probe launched in 1972, re-entered Earth's atmosphere at 8:24 MESZ on May 10, 2025, and crashed into the Indian Ocean west of Jakarta.
• The European Space Agency (ESA) and Roskosmos monitored the descent, confirming the spacecraft no longer exists as a coherent structure after re-entry.
• The probe, designed to withstand Venus's harsh atmosphere, was expected to survive re-entry partially intact, but the condition of any debris remains unclear.
• Originally part of the Soviet Venera program, Kosmos-482 was stranded in Earth orbit due to a launch failure and had been circling the planet for over five decades.
• Experts assessed the risk to inhabited areas as negligible, with most debris likely landing in uninhabited ocean regions.