After more than five decades in orbit, a relic from the first space race is making an unexpected return. Kosmos 482, a Soviet spacecraft launched in 1972 on a failed mission to Venus, is projected to reenter Earth’s atmosphere between May 8 and May 11, 2025. Experts are closely monitoring its descent, as the probe’s durable construction raises the possibility that parts of it could survive reentry and reach the Earth’s surface.
The lander has a titanium shell and shielding that could allow it to withstand reentry through Earth’s atmosphere. That seems almost likely, given that the descent module of Kosmos 482 was made to travel through Venus’s atmosphere all the way to the surface of Earth’s “evil twin.” If it survives intact, it could slam into the ground at speeds up to 150 mph. While chances are rated as low as being struck by lightning, there is a higher than zero chance that the spacecraft could land on Florida.
Kosmos 482 is in its final days and space and will enter the Earth’s atmosphere and crash back on our home planet sometime this week. In an interview with NPR, an astronomer at the Center for Astrophysics at Harvard and The Smithsonian, Dr. Jonathon McDowell, played down the chances of it doing so on land, saying “It’s more likely that it will splash down in a body of water than land on the ground, says Jonathan McDowell.
“There’s a not-trivial chance that it could hit somewhere where it damages property, and there’s a small chance — but it’s like one in thousands — that it could hurt someone,” he told NPR’s All Things Considered.
McDowell is spot-on: the Earth is mostly covered by water, and the chances of any particular spot on the Earth is the ultimate landing area are infinitesimal.
So, a not-zero chance, but not one likely to result in much more than an unseen big splash in a ocean.
A Failed Mission…
Kosmos 482 was launched on March 31, 1972, as part of the Soviet Union’s ambitious Venera program aimed at exploring Venus. The spacecraft was intended to deliver a lander to the Venusian surface, collecting data on the planet’s atmosphere and geology. However, a malfunction in the launch vehicle’s upper stage prevented the probe from escaping Earth’s orbit.
Only four spacecraft have ever returned images from Venus’ surface. These photos were taken by the USSR’s Venera 1`0.
Photo: Roscosmos
As a result, Kosmos 482 was stranded in a highly elliptical orbit, where it has remained ever since. Since its launch, 482 has looped around the planet for 53 years, but at the perigee (lowest point) of each of those orbits, it has encountered friction from the upper part of Earth’s atmosphere. That in turn has slowed Kosmos 482 slightly, and over time, it’s apogee (highest point) in orbit has steadily decreased. Now, the orbit is so low that re-entry is inevitable.
The spacecraft’s main bus reentered Earth’s atmosphere and disintegrated shortly after launch, but the lander module—designed to withstand the extreme conditions of Venus’s atmosphere—remained intact and continued orbiting Earth. Weighing approximately 495 kilograms (1,091 pounds), the lander is built with a robust titanium shell and heat-resistant materials, making it particularly resilient to the intense heat and pressure of atmospheric reentry — exactly what it was designed to do.
Tracking the Descent
Predicting the exact time and location of Kosmos 482’s reentry is challenging due to various factors, including atmospheric conditions and solar activity. Current estimates suggest that the spacecraft will reenter Earth’s atmosphere between May 8 and May 11, with the most probable date being May 10. The potential impact zone spans a wide area between 52 degrees north and 52 degrees south latitude, encompassing regions from Canada to South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia.
via https://planet4589.org/
Despite the vast area of potential impact, experts believe the likelihood of the lander striking a populated area is low. Dr. McDowell noted that while the risk of injury or property damage is minimal, it is not zero. He compared the odds of being hit by debris from Kosmos 482 to those of being struck by lightning.
Potential Outcomes
The lander’s design, intended to survive the harsh environment of Venus, means it could endure reentry through Earth’s atmosphere. If it does, the module could impact the surface at speeds up to 150 miles per hour (242 kilometers per hour). However, some experts suggest that the heat shield may have degraded over time, increasing the chances of the spacecraft burning up during reentry.
There have been reports of a parachute-like structure trailing the lander, possibly deployed during the initial mission. While intriguing, experts believe that even if the parachute is intact, it is unlikely to function effectively after decades in space, given that it will depend on long-depleted battery systems to function.
While the chances of this old spacecraft landing on any given spot in Florida is about the same as winning the lottery, it is worth keeping an eye on Kosmos 482 if for no other reason than it is the end of an interesting historical relic.
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