Soviet Space Probe Kosmos 482 Re-enters and Crashes on Earth After Exiting Orbit

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Launched in 1972 by the Soviet Union, the failed spacecraft known as Kosmos 482 was part of a series of missions bound for Venus.

WASHINGTON — A Soviet-era spacecraft plunged to Earth on Saturday, more than a half-century after its failed launch to Venus.

The European Union Space Surveillance and Tracking has confirmed the uncontrolled reentry, based on their analysis and the absence of the spacecraft on future orbits. The European Space Agency’s space debris office also reported that it had reentered, as it was not detected over a German radar station.

It remains unclear where exactly the spacecraft entered, or how much of the half-ton structure survived the intense reentry from orbit. Experts had previously noted that given its design to endure Venus’ extreme conditions, some parts, if not all, might crash back to Earth.

The chances of anyone getting clobbered by spacecraft debris were exceedingly low, scientists said.

Launched by the Soviet Union in 1972, the spacecraft, called Kosmos 482, was a part of a mission series aimed at Venus. However, due to a rocket malfunction, it remained in Earth’s orbit and never reached its intended destination.

Much of the spacecraft came tumbling back to Earth within a decade of the failed launch. No longer able to resist gravity’s tug as its orbit dwindled, the spherical lander — an estimated 3 feet (1 meter) across — was the last part of the spacecraft to come down. The lander was encased in titanium, according to experts, and weighed more than 1,000 pounds (495 kilograms).

After following the spacecraft’s downward spiral, scientists, military experts and others could not pinpoint in advance precisely when or where the spacecraft might come down. Solar activity added to the uncertainty as well as the spacecraft’s deteriorating condition after so long in space.

As of Saturday morning, the U.S. Space Command had yet to confirm the spacecraft’s demise as it collected and analyzed data from orbit.

The U.S. Space Command routinely monitors dozens of reentries each month. What set Kosmos 482 apart — and earned it extra attention from government and private space trackers — was that it was more likely to survive reentry, according to officials.

It was also coming in uncontrolled, without any intervention by flight controllers who normally target the Pacific and other vast expanses of water for old satellites and other space debris.