Latest news with #Kosmos482DescentCraft
Economic Times
10-05-2025
- Science
- Economic Times
Forgotten Soviet Venus mission ends with a bang as doomed spacecraft plummets to Earth after 50 years adrift in orbit
What was the Kosmos 482, and why did it fail? Live Events Where did the spacecraft crash? Could the debris have caused damage? FAQs (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel A long-lost Soviet spacecraft has at last made its blazing re-entry into the Earth after 50 years. The heavy lander, after its aborted attempt to explore Venus, got trapped in low orbit for decades. It now re-entered our atmosphere in a dramatic and uncontrolled Soviet Union's Kosmos 482 Descent Craft , sent to Venus in 1972, was built to endure harsh conditions and returned to Earth's atmosphere. However, the spacecraft's attempt to reach Venus was never Kosmos 482 Descent Craft was a piece of space junk designed to land on Earth's neighbouring planet. However, this mission was unsuccessful, and the probe has remained trapped in low Earth orbit ever European Union Space Surveillance and Tracking confirmed that the spacecraft made an " uncontrolled reentry " and crashed back down, as per a report by The failing to show up over a German radar station, the European Space Agency debris office concluded that the spacecraft had re-entered.A vast area on both sides of the equator makes up the potential crash zone that Langbroek mapped out for the spacecraft's potential much of the speeding spaceship survived the fiery descent and where it crashed are still unknown. It is hoped it landed in the ocean and did no predicted in advance that because the wreckage was designed to survive a landing on Venus, the hottest planet in the solar system, it might arrive return of the lander was predicted in a blog post by Marco Langbroek, a space situational awareness lecturer at Delft Technical University in the Netherlands. The likelihood of the machine colliding with people or structures was extremely low, according to scientists, as per a report by The long after its disastrous launch, Kosmos 482 broke apart. Within ten years, a large portion of the spacecraft crashed back to Earth, with the main body landing back in the atmosphere on May 5, final component still orbiting space was the round lander section, which was estimated to be one metre lump of metal weighed about half a tonne, despite its small size. It is just one of about 35,000 pieces of over 10-cm-long man-made space debris that experts are experts believe it landed in the ocean and posed little was intended to land on Venus, but it failed to leave Earth's orbit.
Time of India
10-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Forgotten Soviet Venus mission ends with a bang as doomed spacecraft plummets to Earth after 50 years adrift in orbit
A long-lost Soviet spacecraft has at last made its blazing re-entry into the Earth after 50 years. The heavy lander, after its aborted attempt to explore Venus, got trapped in low orbit for decades. It now re-entered our atmosphere in a dramatic and uncontrolled way. #Operation Sindoor India-Pakistan Clash Live Updates| Pak moving troops to border areas? All that's happening Why India chose to abstain instead of 'No Vote' against IMF billion-dollar funding to Pakistan How Pak's jihadi general Munir became trapped in his own vice What was the Kosmos 482, and why did it fail? The Soviet Union's Kosmos 482 Descent Craft , sent to Venus in 1972, was built to endure harsh conditions and returned to Earth's atmosphere. However, the spacecraft's attempt to reach Venus was never successful. The Kosmos 482 Descent Craft was a piece of space junk designed to land on Earth's neighbouring planet. However, this mission was unsuccessful, and the probe has remained trapped in low Earth orbit ever since. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play War Thunder now for free War Thunder Play Now The European Union Space Surveillance and Tracking confirmed that the spacecraft made an " uncontrolled reentry " and crashed back down, as per a report by The Sun. After failing to show up over a German radar station, the European Space Agency debris office concluded that the spacecraft had re-entered. Live Events Where did the spacecraft crash? A vast area on both sides of the equator makes up the potential crash zone that Langbroek mapped out for the spacecraft's potential landing. How much of the speeding spaceship survived the fiery descent and where it crashed are still unknown. It is hoped it landed in the ocean and did no damage. Could the debris have caused damage? Experts predicted in advance that because the wreckage was designed to survive a landing on Venus, the hottest planet in the solar system, it might arrive intact. The return of the lander was predicted in a blog post by Marco Langbroek, a space situational awareness lecturer at Delft Technical University in the Netherlands. The likelihood of the machine colliding with people or structures was extremely low, according to scientists, as per a report by The Sun. Not long after its disastrous launch, Kosmos 482 broke apart. Within ten years, a large portion of the spacecraft crashed back to Earth, with the main body landing back in the atmosphere on May 5, 1981. The final component still orbiting space was the round lander section, which was estimated to be one metre across. The lump of metal weighed about half a tonne, despite its small size. It is just one of about 35,000 pieces of over 10-cm-long man-made space debris that experts are monitoring. FAQs Was anyone hurt when the Soviet spacecraft crashed? No, experts believe it landed in the ocean and posed little danger. What was the spacecraft originally designed for? It was intended to land on Venus, but it failed to leave Earth's orbit.
Scottish Sun
10-05-2025
- Science
- Scottish Sun
Out-of-control Soviet spacecraft CRASHES into Earth after getting stuck in orbit for 50 years on doomed Venus mission
The spaceship never completed its mission to reach Venus SPACE JUNK Out-of-control Soviet spacecraft CRASHES into Earth after getting stuck in orbit for 50 years on doomed Venus mission Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A SOVIET-era spacecraft has crashed down to Earth more than half a century after its failed launch to Venus. The space vessel hurtled back down in an "uncontrolled reentry", the European Union Space Surveillance and Tracking confirmed. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 A failed Soviet spacecraft launched in 1972 has arrived back at Earth Credit: Anatoly Zak/ 3 The spacecraft hurtled 'uncontrolled' into Earth's atmosphere Credit: SWNS The European Space Agency debris office agreed that the spacecraft had reentered - after it failed to appear over a German radar station. It's not yet clear where the speeding spaceship crash landed - or how much of it survived the fiery descent. Experts said ahead of time that the wreckage could arrive whole, given it was built to withstand a landing on Venus - the solar system's hottest planet. The hunk of space junk, called Kosmos 482 Descent Craft, was first launched in 1972 with the intention of it touching down on Earth's neighbouring planet. But this mission failed - and the probe has been stuck in low Earth orbit ever since. Marco Langbroek, a lecturer in space situational awareness at Delft Technical University in the Netherlands predicted the lander's return in a blog post. Scientists said there was a very slim chance of the machine smashing into people or buildings. Much of the spacecraft came tumbling back to Earth within a decade of the failed launch. More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
The Irish Sun
10-05-2025
- Science
- The Irish Sun
Out-of-control Soviet spacecraft CRASHES into Earth after getting stuck in orbit for 50 years on doomed Venus mission
A SOVIET-era spacecraft has crashed down to Earth more than half a century after its failed launch to Venus. Advertisement 3 A failed Soviet spacecraft launched in 1972 has arrived back at Earth Credit: Anatoly Zak/ 3 The spacecraft hurtled 'uncontrolled' into Earth's atmosphere Credit: SWNS The European Space Agency debris office agreed that the spacecraft had reentered - after it failed to appear over a German radar station. It's not yet clear where the speeding spaceship crash landed - or how much of it survived the fiery descent. Experts said ahead of time that the wreckage could arrive whole, given it was built to withstand a landing on Venus - the solar system's hottest planet. The hunk of space junk, called Kosmos 482 Descent Craft, was first launched in 1972 with the intention of it touching down on Earth's neighbouring planet. Advertisement But this mission failed - and the probe has been stuck in low Earth orbit ever since. Marco Langbroek, a lecturer in space situational awareness at Delft Technical University in the Netherlands predicted the lander's return in a Scientists said there was a very slim chance of the machine smashing into people or buildings. Much of the spacecraft came tumbling back to Earth within a decade of the failed launch. Advertisement Most read in Tech More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at 3 Advertisement
Metro
10-05-2025
- Science
- Metro
Out-of-control spacecraft set to crash into Earth today - where will it hit?
A Soviet satellite once bound for Venus is about to crash back down to earth after more than half a century in space. The Kosmos 482 Descent Craft has been floating around in outer space for more than 50 years, stuck in Earth's orbit. It's estimated the craft will descend through the atmosphere at some point between May 8 and 12 – and the potential area it could hit when it crash lands is huge. Marco Langbroek, a lecturer in space situational awareness at Delft Technical University in the Netherlands, has predicted its return and currently believes it will re-enter the atmosphere on Saturday, May 10 – though there is a 20-hour margin of error on either side of this. And due to the craft being a lander designed to survive passing through Venus's atmosphere, Marco predicts it could survive re-entry through Earth's atmosphere. Whether it survives the impact on Earth's surface remains to be seen – he warns the parachute system may not work after spending 53 years in orbit. Discussing the risks associated with the craft's re-entry, Marco said: 'The risks involved are not particularly high, but not zero: with a mass of just under 500kg and 1metre (3ft) size, risks are somewhat similar to that of a meteorite impact. 'A re-entry analysis to ground level suggests an impact speed (after atmospheric deceleration) of about 65-70metres per second (150mph), assuming the re-entering lander did not break up or extensively ablate during re-entry.' The potential area where the Kosmos 482 Descent Craft could land back on Earth is absolutely huge. The craft is predicted to land anywhere between 52° north and 52° south – which covers the entirety of Africa, South America, Asia, Australia, and huge swathes of Europe and North America. However, the potential crash zone also includes huge swathes of ocean, meaning the odds of the craft hitting a populated area are very slim. The Kosmos 482 Descent Craft was launched on March 31, 1972, and soon after it broke into several pieces. The craft got stuck in an elliptical orbit around Earth due to a failure in the upper stage of the rocket that launched it into space in the first place. Its main body re-entered the atmosphere on May 5, 1981, and the rest of the craft has been orbiting the planet ever since. If you want to keep an eye on the Kosmos 482 Descent Craft, there's a live tracking website watching its movements. At the time of writing it was floating above the Crozet Islands, a small archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south east of the most southerly point of South Africa. There are roughly 35,000 pieces of space debris that are more than 10cm in size being tracked by experts at the moment, with about 10,000 active satellites in orbit. Objects caught in Earth's gravity undergo a process called orbital decay, which means they get closer and closer to the planet as time goes on until eventually falling back through the atmosphere. More Trending Most of the time, these pieces of debris either burn up in the atmosphere or, if they survive, land in the sea or unpopulated areas. According to the European Space Agency, about 160 large objects made uncontrolled re-entries in 2021. And the US Federal Aviation Administration warned in 2023 that by 2035, if satellite growth continues, there could be 28,000 objects re-entering the atmosphere each year – which could be expected to kill or injure someone every two years. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Giant 'space umbrella' will orbit Earth but it won't stop the rain – here's why MORE: Controversial Russian satellite involved in nuclear row is 'spinning out of control' MORE: Rare 'smiley face' to light up sky when Venus, Saturn and the Moon align
