A Cold War-era spacecraft is about to return to Earth, the final leg of its failed mission to explore one of our closest cosmic neighbors.
Kosmos 482 was launched by the Soviet Union in 1972 to travel to Venus and pass through the planet’s thick atmosphere. However, an issue with the launch left the spacecraft in limbo orbiting the Earth for decades. Fast forward 53 years, and it is about to make an uncontrolled reentry into Earth’s atmosphere.
“Because the probe was designed to withstand entry into the Venus atmosphere, it is possible the probe (or parts of it) will survive reentry at Earth and reach the surface,” NASA said.
The probe is expected to return to Earth between Wednesday, May 7, and Tuesday, May 13.
Where could Kosmos 482 crash land?
Experts tracking the defunct spacecraft estimate it could reenter the atmosphere anywhere between 52 degrees north latitude and 52 degrees south latitude. This includes all of Africa, South America, the contiguous United States, Australia and New Zealand, most of Europe and most of Asia.
The massive area of the globe also includes most of the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean. Since there is more water than land in the expected reentry area, odds favor the spacecraft landing in an ocean, but there is still a risk it could hit land.
Kosmos 482 was launched with a parachute, but given the age of the probe, it is unlikely to work properly as it enters Earth’s atmosphere. If the spacecraft does crash on land, people should avoid contact with the remains and contact local authorities.
Recent stories of meteors, space junk hitting homes
It is rare for a meteorite or piece of a spacecraft to cause property damage, but it is not impossible.
On March 8, 2024, debris jettisoned from the International Space Station survived a fiery descent through Earth’s atmosphere and hit a home in Florida, smashing through the roof. A person was inside the house but was not injured.
A Canadian woman was lucky to be alive after a meteorite crashed through her house in the middle of the night, ending up in her bed mere inches away from where she was sleeping. “It never touched me,” Ruth Hamilton told CTV News. “I had debris on my face from the drywall, but not a single scratch.”
The rise in home security cameras has also led to an uptick in videos of cosmic oddities. Last year, a doorbell camera captured a meteorite plummeting out of the sky before smashing into a sidewalk, hitting the same spot where Joe Velaidum was standing just minutes earlier.
“If I had stayed on that very spot for just two minutes longer, I absolutely would have been struck and probably killed by this meteor,” Velaidum said.
