A Soviet-era spacecraft, Kosmos 482, launched in 1972 as part of the USSR’s Venera program intended for Venus, has reentered Earth’s atmosphere and crashed into the Indian Ocean after 53 years in orbit.
Kosmos 482 was launched on March 31, 1972, aiming to join the Soviet Union’s Venera program, which sought to explore Venus. However, a malfunction in the rocket’s upper stage left the spacecraft stranded in Earth’s orbit instead of sending it on its intended trajectory to Venus.
Shortly after the failed launch, parts of the spacecraft fell to Earth, with debris landing in New Zealand. The remaining descent module, a spherical object approximately 3 feet in diameter and weighing about 1,091 pounds (495 kilograms), continued to orbit Earth for over five decades.
On May 10, 2025, Kosmos 482 reentered Earth’s atmosphere at approximately 2:24 a.m. ET (06:24 GMT), descending over the Indian Ocean west of Jakarta, Indonesia. The Russian space agency Roscosmos confirmed the reentry, noting that the spacecraft likely fell harmlessly into the sea.
Designed to withstand the extreme conditions of Venus, the descent module’s robust construction raised concerns that it could survive reentry and pose a risk upon impact. However, experts estimated that the odds of it striking a populated area were “infinitesimally small.”
Kosmos 482’s reentry highlights the growing issue of space debris. The European Space Agency tracks approximately 35,000 pieces of man-made space debris larger than 10 centimeters, with many objects remaining in orbit for decades before reentering the atmosphere.
While most debris burns up upon reentry, larger objects like Kosmos 482 can survive and reach Earth’s surface. This incident underscores the importance of developing strategies to manage and mitigate space debris to ensure the safety of both space operations and people on Earth.
