The Soviet spacecraft fell to Earth after 53 years in orbit.

Spacecraft falling to Earth
Spacecraft falling to Earth

The old Soviet spacecraft 'Kosmos-482' returned to Earth after more than half a century in space

The Russian space agency and the European Space Monitoring Service have confirmed that the Soviet spacecraft 'Kosmos-482' has finally descended to Earth, failing to head to Venus over 50 years ago. The debris of the spacecraft fell into the Indian Ocean, but the exact location of the fall remains unknown.

The spacecraft 'Kosmos-482' was launched in 1972 for a mission to Venus, but due to a rocket malfunction, it did not reach the intended orbit. Over more than half a century in space, only the landing module weighing over 495 kg has descended from the spacecraft, completing its journey by falling to Earth.

It is currently unknown whether any part of the half-ton vessel survived re-entry into the atmosphere. Experts warn that due to the design for extreme landing conditions on Venus, some fragments may have remained intact.

The American space agency is still analyzing data related to the fall of the spacecraft. Meanwhile, the high risk of survival during atmospheric entry created uncertainty among observers. Over decades of tracking the spacecraft in orbit, the exact fall location could not be predicted due to solar activity, the aging of the spacecraft, and the lack of control over the fall trajectory.

The debris of the 'Kosmos-482' spacecraft poses no threat to people and is just one of the numerous adventures in space that are important to study for the improvement of future space missions.


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