Kosmos 482 was launched by the then-Soviet Union in 1972 as part of a series of missions bound for Venus. But this one never made it out of orbit around Earth, stranded there by a rocket malfunction.

The failed Soviet spacecraft Kosmos 482 could crash to Earth overnight tonight after more than 50 years in the wrong orbit. Here are the latest predictions on the exact time of reentry, and where ...

This will be no ordinary space junk fall. The Soviet Union's failed Kosmos 482 spacecraft will crash to Earth in the coming days after more than 50 years in orbit. Its homecoming may not spark the ...

Kosmos-482, which was headed to Venus, is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere by the end of this weekend. Experts don’t yet know where it may come down.

Kosmos 482 has been orbiting the Earth for decades. It's still unknown if the craft will fall to Earth intact or burn up upon atmospheric reentry.

But Kosmos 482 was built to withstand a descent through Venus’ dense atmosphere, and to operate on the planet’s surface, where the mean temperature is 867 degrees Fahrenheit (464 C).

Kosmos 482 was designed as a sister probe to Venera 8, which launched in July 1972 and landed on Venus’s sweltering surface, becoming the second-ever spacecraft to do so.

Kosmos 482 rocketed into space in 1972 on a quest to reach Venus, but its journey was scuttled by an apparent engine malfunction. Accessibility links. Skip to main content; ...

A defunct Soviet spacecraft, Kosmos 482, is expected to fall back to Earth between May 8-12, 2025. Launched in 1972, the Venus-bound craft malfunctioned and has been orbiting Earth for 53 years.

The failed Soviet spacecraft Kosmos 482 could crash to Earth overnight tonight after more than 50 years in the wrong orbit. Here are the latest predictions on the exact time of reentry, and where ...