A Soviet spacecraft launched over half a century ago on a failed mission to Venus has finally re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and is believed to have crashed early Saturday morning.
The European Space Agency (ESA), which had been tracking the descent, reported that Kosmos 482 was last detected by radar over Germany. After that, no further radar signals were picked up, leading experts to conclude that the spacecraft likely completed its uncontrolled re-entry.
No injuries or damage have been reported from the incident.
Kosmos 482 was launched by the USSR in 1972 as part of its Venera program, which aimed to study Venus. While ten Venera missions successfully landed on the planet, Kosmos 482 never made it past Earth. A rocket malfunction left the spacecraft trapped in Earth’s orbit, where it remained for 53 years.
Roughly 3 feet in diameter and weighing over 1,000 pounds, the spacecraft gradually spiraled closer to Earth in an increasingly elliptical orbit until it was pulled into the atmosphere.
Space debris falling to Earth is not uncommon. In 2022 alone, more than 2,400 human-made objects re-entered Earth’s atmosphere, most of which either burned up or landed harmlessly in oceans, according to the ESA.
However, Kosmos 482 was built differently. Designed to survive Venus’ extreme conditions — including temperatures of 867°F (464°C) — the craft’s reinforced construction meant it may have been capable of surviving Earth’s re-entry intact.
A replica of the similar Venera 4 probe, the first to transmit data from another planet’s atmosphere, offers a glimpse into the rugged design of Kosmos 482.
While the exact crash site remains unknown, officials continue to monitor for any signs of debris. For now, the long journey of one of Earth’s oldest pieces of space junk has finally come to an end.