A spacecraft that has been circling Earth for 53 years will soon return home. Kosmos 482 was launched by the Soviet Union on March 31, 1972. It was destined for Venus, but technical failure left it hanging high and dry. Instead of going to Venus, it has remained in a temporary orbit around Earth.

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After the spacecraft was launched, something went wrong with the timer. This led to an engine burn being cut before time, leading to problems as the Soviet spacecraft failed to even start off on its journey, let alone achieve its goal.

Since then, Kosmos 482 has been ignored, and no viable efforts have been made to bring it back, adding to the ton of space debris. However, the spacecraft will now be brought back to Earth, with the schedule set for between May 8 and May 11, 2025.

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The exact date will be determined by the Sun. A more active Sun makes the planet’s upper atmosphere hotter, and it expands. This causes more atmospheric drag on low-orbiting objects. The orbital speed of the spacecraft slows down, and the reentry happens earlier than estimated.

Can the spacecraft enter over land? 

The 495-kg landing module is about 3.2 feet across and is expected to enter at a speed of around 242 km per hour after atmospheric drag deceleration.

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The bigger problem is that it will be an uncontrolled reentry, meaning space scientists on Earth won't be able to control it. However, estimates suggest that it will be somewhere between latitude 52 degrees north and 52 degrees south. This most likely means it will reenter over a water body since Earth is largely covered by oceans.

Does Soviet spacecraft Kosmos 482 pose a threat?

However, experts say that the design of Kosmos 482 poses a problem because it was similar to the Venera mission landers. The probes were visiting Venus and were built to withstand acceleration, high pressures, and extreme heat from the hot planet. This is why it might not disintegrate fully as it returns. So if it reenters over land, you might want to watch out for the big object falling down.

There is a small chance that it might reenter over land. It would start becoming visible as it comes nearer, and if at all it enters over a space where humans can see it, the spacecraft would appear like a meteorite shooting through the sky.