Gone as Soviet spacecraft, back as Russian debris: Kosmos 482 to hit Earth on Saturday

A Soviet spacecraft called Kosmos 482 is about to fall back to Earth more than 50 years after it failed to reach Venus. Launched in 1972 as part of the USSR’s Venera programme, the aircraft aimed to study the solar system’s hottest planet. But due to a rocket failure, it never left Earth’s orbit — and has been circling the planet ever since due to gravity.Under the United Nations Outer Space Treaty, any surviving parts of the spacecraft will legally belong to Russia.When will Kosmos 482 fall?Estimates of the landing date change daily. Kosmos 482’s parachutes and power systems stopped working decades ago. With solar activity and the spacecraft’s age creating unpredictability, it’s difficult for scientists to say exactly when and where it will fall. However, it is mostly expected to reenter the atmosphere early Saturday, US Eastern Time. Where will it fall? “The chances of it hitting a populated area are infinitesimally small,” said University of Colorado scientist Marcin Pilinski as quoted by news agency Associated Press. Most forecasts suggest it will likely fall over the ocean or an uninhabited region.Risk of damage on impactThe spacecraft weighs nearly 500 kilograms and is built from titanium. Scientists believe that while much of it will burn up, some parts could survive the heat and impact. Kosmos 482 was originally designed to land on Venus, where surface temperatures reach around 460°C. Its strong design may now help it survive reentry into Earth’s atmosphere. Dutch scientist Marco Langbroek estimated the object could crash at a speed of around 242 km/h — fast enough to make a dent, but unlikely to cause major damage.