A Soviet-Era Russian Probe Set To Crash Back To Earth This Week

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.