Space, the final frontier

Part of a Soviet spacecraft is expected to crash back down to Earth this weekend, with experts still unsure of where it will land.

Kosmos 482 was launched in March 1972 on a Soyuz rocket a few days after the Venera 8 atmospheric probe, and was thought to have a similar purpose. Intended to reach Venus, it failed to escape low Earth orbit and instead broke into four pieces.

Now, Kosmos 482’s lander probe is expected to come down to Earth with a bump. Marek Ziebart, professor of space geodesy at University College London, said the situation was unusual, noting de-orbited satellites tended to burn up in the planet’s atmosphere owing to drag.

However, that is unlikely to be the case for Kosmos 482 – a spacecraft that was designed to withstand Venus’s extreme conditions, such as its acidic atmosphere and extreme heat. “Anything we try to send Venus has to be armour plated,” said Ziebart.

It is not the first part of Kosmos 482 to do so: some components landed in New Zealand soon after the launch. According to Nasa, the lander probe contained a heat shield and a parachute to help it land. However, experts said these may have been compromised over time.

While the altitude of Kosmos 482 has gradually decreased, quite when it will crash to Earth remains unclear. Nasa said it was expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere some time from 9 to 10 May.