Overview

• Kosmos-482, launched in 1972 as part of the Soviet Venera program, failed to reach Venus due to a rocket malfunction and remained trapped in Earth orbit for 53 years.
• The spacecraft reentered Earth's atmosphere on May 10, 2025, with Roscosmos confirming its descent and splashdown in the Indian Ocean west of Jakarta, Indonesia.
• Experts tracked the descent using advanced monitoring systems, but uncertainties in solar activity and orbital decay made precise predictions of its reentry location difficult.
• The probe’s titanium-reinforced lander was built to withstand Venus' harsh conditions, raising the possibility that some debris may have survived the fiery reentry.
• Under international law, any surviving fragments of Kosmos-482 remain Russian property, though no injuries or damage have been reported from its reentry.