Soviet spacecraft to crash into Earth

A defunct Soviet probe, originally intended to fly to Venus, but
which instead became trapped in an Earth orbit for 53 years, is
now likely to make an uncontrolled re-entry into our atmosphere

Mar 31, 1972: Believed to be sister ship
to Venera 8, Kosmos 482 breaks apart
during launch to Venus, with wreckage
becoming caught in elliptical orbit
around Earth

Soviets apply “Kosmos” name to any
of their craft that remain in Earth orbit

May 8-12, 2025: Descent craft (similar
to probe, right) expected to crash between
52 degrees north and 52 degrees south

1m

52 DEGREES NORTH
52 DEGREES SOUTH

AFRICA ASIA
OCEANIA
NORTH EUROPE
AMERICA
SOUTH
AMERICA

Kosmos 482
orbit

Weight:
495kg

TELESCOPIC VIEWS FROM EARTH

Parachute has
possibly deployed
in space

Descent
craft

Jun 26,
2014

Jul 7,
2024

Apr 3, 1972: Debris
from launch crashes
outside Ashburton,
New Zealand

Scientists fear that
because Kosmos 482
was designed to
withstand atmosphere
of Venus, it could return
to Earth intact and pose
threat to life

Sources: Live Science, Heavens-Above, The Space Review, X
Pictures: Creative Commons, Ralf Vandebergh
© GRAPHIC NEWS