After 53 Years in Orbit: The Crash of the Failed Soviet Venus Lander Kosmos 482

The end of an era has arrived as the Kosmos 482 probe, a remnant of the Soviet space program, completed its long journey. After more than 50 years in orbit, it reentered Earth’s atmosphere on May 10, 2025, at 2:24 a.m. ET. The probe’s descent concluded over the Indian Ocean, west of Jakarta, Indonesia, as noted by Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos. Fortunately, it appears to have fallen harmlessly into the sea.

Just before its descent, astronomer Gianluca Masi from the Virtual Telescope Project captured a stunning image of Kosmos 482 as it passed over Rome. In this photo, the probe looks like a dashed line streaking through the sky, creating a beautiful moment just before its fall.

Kosmos 482 had originally been part of the Soviet Union’s Venera program, designed to explore Venus. Launched in 1972, it never made it to its intended destination due to a rocket malfunction. Instead, it drifted in an elliptical orbit around Earth for 53 years, slowly being pulled closer to reentry by atmospheric drag.

Most large pieces of space debris tend to break apart during reentry, creating stunning meteor showers. However, Kosmos 482 was designed to withstand the intense heat of Venus’s atmosphere, which raises the possibility that it reentered in one piece. If so, it likely struck the ocean at around 150 mph (240 kph), similar to the impact of a medium-sized meteorite, according to Dutch satellite tracker Marco Langbroek.

This event shines a light on a growing concern: space junk. The European Space Agency (ESA) reports that, on average, three significant pieces of debris reenter Earth’s atmosphere daily. With over 14,240 satellites currently orbiting our planet, many from notable projects like SpaceX’s Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper, the frequency of reentries is expected to increase. According to ESA officials, reentry trends are set to rise as space traffic grows, leading to more risks.

While the chances of harm from falling debris are generally low—thanks to most pieces burning up in the atmosphere or falling into uninhabited areas—the increasing frequency raises concerns about potential accidents. Additionally, research indicates that reentering satellites could pollute the atmosphere, impacting both the ozone layer and the climate.

As we gaze into the skies, it’s clear that we need to pay more attention to the debris orbiting our planet, addressing the balance between space exploration and sustainability for future generations.

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