Urgent: Failing Soviet Venus Probe Plummets to Earth Today—Find Out When and Where It Will Land!

In 1972, the Soviet Union launched Kosmos 482, a lander aimed at Venus. Unfortunately, it never made it there due to a launch failure. Instead, it has been stuck in an elliptical orbit around Earth for over 50 years.

Now, Kosmos 482 is expected to reenter Earth’s atmosphere. This could happen as soon as today, around 1:54 a.m. ET, give or take a few hours. The exact landing spot is uncertain, but it could fall anywhere within 52 degrees north or south latitude, which covers a huge portion of our planet.

Interestingly, experts believe the reentry may not be very hazardous. Marco Langbroek, a satellite tracker, pointed out that the craft is likely to stay intact as it falls, posing fewer risks than larger space debris that breaks apart during reentry. “The chances of it causing harm are lower than those from a Falcon 9 rocket, which scatters multiple pieces across a wide area,” he noted.

While there’s some risk, CORDS (The Aerospace Corporation’s Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies) asserts that it’s minimal. With 71% of Earth covered in water and much of the land uninhabited, the odds are in our favor. You’re more likely to be struck by lightning than hit by Kosmos 482.

Recent statistics support this. The projected risk of injury from the probe is around 0.4 in 10,000—a figure that comfortably falls within safety limits. This has worked to calm fears about falling space debris as more people become aware of the statistics.

Tracking this historic spacecraft has been a passion for many. Astrophotographer Ralf Vandebergh has captured images of Kosmos 482 for over a decade, even suggesting it could still have its parachute deployed. However, some experts have questioned this, attributing the imagery’s strange appearance to camera shake and atmospheric issues.

This incident also ties into the broader historical context of Venus exploration. Kosmos 482 was part of the Venera program, which was groundbreaking for its time. The first successful lander on Venus was Venera 7 in 1970, followed by Venera 13, which sent back the first color images of the planet in 1982.

Keep an eye on updates for Kosmos 482’s reentry through sources like ESA’s live blog or Marco Langbroek’s website, SatTrackCam.

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