Kosmos-482, a failed Soviet Venus probe, re-entered Earth’s atmosphere in May, but tracking its exact descent proved elusive.

Kosmos-482, which was headed to Venus, is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere by the end of this weekend. Experts don’t yet know where it may come down.

Kosmos 482's fall draws attention to our planet's growing space junk problem. On average, three sizeable pieces of debris crash back to Earth every day — and that number is only going to go up.

Kosmos-482 was launched on a voyage to Venus in March 1972 as part of the Soviet multimission Venera program. Thanks to a rocket malfunction, however, it never escaped Earth orbit.

The failed Soviet spacecraft Kosmos 482 could crash to Earth overnight tonight after more than 50 years in the wrong orbit. Here are the latest predictions on the exact time of reentry, and where ...

Kosmos 482 rocketed into space in 1972 on a quest to reach Venus, but its journey was scuttled by an apparent engine malfunction. Accessibility links. Skip to main content; ...

Cosmos (or Kosmos) 482's orbit has slowly brought it closer to our planet since 1972, and now it's on the cusp of plummeting back to its home world.

Fate had something different in store for Kosmos 482. How to be space junk in one easy step The upper rocket stage that was meant to propel the Kosmos 482 bus out of Earth orbit shut off too early ...

It's still quite uncertain just where and when the craft will fall, although it is expected to reenter around 2:26 am ET on May 10 +/- 4.35 hours. Update for 8:30 a.m. ET on May 10: Kosmos 482 has ...

The Soviets launched Kosmos 482 in 1972, intending to send it to Venus to join other spacecraft in their Venera programme. But a rocket malfunction left this one stuck in orbit around Earth.

The failed Soviet spacecraft Kosmos 482 could crash to Earth overnight tonight after more than 50 years in the wrong orbit. Here are the latest predictions on the exact time of reentry, and where ...