Soviet spacecraft Kosmos 482 crashes to Earth after 53 years, raising concerns over space debris

Time of India

11-05-2025

A chapter of space exploration history has ended with the dramatic reentry of the Soviet Venus lander, Kosmos 482. It was over five decades since the deceased spacecraft had been in orbit around Earth.
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On May 10, 2025, it finally returned to Earth. The reentry occurred at 2:24 a.m. ET (0624 GMT or 9:24 a.m. Moscow time), splashing into the Indian Ocean off Jakarta's western coast, Indonesia, said Roscosmos, Russia's space agency.
While it appears to have landed safely in the ocean, the precise impact site of
Kosmos 482
is somewhat disputed. Different space agencies and tracking stations estimated differently where the probe might reenter Earth's atmosphere.
Though Roscosmos tracked it over the Indian Ocean off Indonesia, other estimates place the options from the South Asian continent itself to the Pacific Ocean east of it. The inability of the answer to the precise landing point indicates just how hard it is to trace space objects after reentering the atmosphere after remaining in orbit for so long.
Kosmos 482's malfunction left it stranded in Earth's orbit for over 50 years
Launched in the early 1970s, Kosmos 482, which tipped the scales at just under 500 kilograms, was affected by a malfunction on the way to Venus.
There was an unplanned problem due to a timer malfunction that resulted in a premature shutdown of the engine, leaving the spacecraft stuck in Earth's orbit for over 50 years. As the reentry of the satellite neared, scientists first estimated that it would impact between May 9 and May 13. But later, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) confirmed that May 10 was the most likely date for its descent.
Kosmos 482's last orbit and its stranded mission to Venus
Before it finally perished, Kosmos 482 did one last orbit of the Earth.
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Astronomer Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope Project caught a picture of the probe as it passed near Rome, Italy, on May 10 for one of its final passes through the city. The four-shot composite is a picture of the spacecraft as a dashed line across the sky. The unusual appearance of the probe in the picture is due to the long exposure required to capture the rapidly moving target.
Kosmos 482 was originally designed as one of the Soviet Union's grand Venera programs to investigate Venus, Earth's close "sister planet."
The probe was launched in 1972 with the purpose of landing on Venus, a planet renowned for its heat and dense, corrosive atmosphere. But after experiencing a rocket malfunction, the probe found itself wedged in an elliptical orbit around Earth instead. Within the period of the next 53 years, the spacecraft's orbit decayed slowly as atmospheric drag slowly pulled it towards Earth, leading to its re-entry today.
Kosmos 482's reentry highlights the growing threat of resilient space junk
Kosmos 482's reentry into the Earth serves as a reminder of the growing issue of space junk.
While most space objects plunge into Earth's atmosphere and burn up, some, particularly heavy or dense objects such as Kosmos 482, survive the hot reentry. Particularly if the object was designed to withstand extreme environments, such as the high-speed passage through the dense atmosphere of Venus. Kosmos 482's rugged shape to sustain Venusian brutal conditions would most likely have been resilient enough to survive reentry without wide disintegration.
Kosmos 482 reentry and impact
The size of the craft of approximately 3.3 feet (1 meter) in diameter and around 1,190 pounds (495 kilograms) suggests that if it had landed intact, its speed on impact on the planet would have been around 150 mph (240 km/h). This speed is comparable to that of a 16- to 22-inch (40-55 cm) medium-sized fragment of a meteorite, as simulated by Dutch satellite tracker Marco Langbroek. But with its trajectory and where it was seen, it's estimated the impact fell into the ocean, which limited the damage, if any was done to land or individuals.
Recent telescope images taken by Dutch satellite spotter Ralf Vandebergh show what is believed to be the parachute deployed by Kosmos 482 during its approach into reentry. The presence of a parachute in the images means that the spacecraft was possibly meant to have some kind of controlled descent, although it is unknown whether the parachute functioned or not.
Kosmos 482's return to Earth is a timely reminder of the increasing number of
space debris
orbiting the planet.
Three significant items of space debris enter the Earth's atmosphere each day, a figure set to rise with increasing numbers of satellites and spacecraft being launched into orbit. Currently, estimates by the European Space Agency (ESA) put the number of satellites in orbit around the Earth at some 14,240, of which 11,400 are still operational. This estimate includes the mounting number of satellites in large constellations such as SpaceX's Starlink constellation with about 7,200 satellites in orbit and continuing to increase.
Kosmos 482's return: Rising safety and environmental risks
Though the likelihood of one piece of space junk causing harm to people or structures is low, the overall threat increases as there are more reentries. The majority of the garbage that survives reentry ends up in the ocean or backcountry, but with more objects reentering, the potential for a catastrophe increases.
Besides the immediate threat to safety, there are also environmental implications. Researchers warn that satellite and space reentry can discharge harmful pollutants in the atmosphere of Earth and destroy the ozone layer and the environment at large, leading to climate change.
With the volume of space traffic increasing, space debris management and minimizing its environmental impacts will be an increasingly important issue.
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