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Doomed Soviet satellite from 1972 will tumble uncontrollably to Earth next week — and it could land almost anywhere
The lander section of the Kosmos 482 probe was launched in 1972 and designed to survive on Venus. Now it's due a fiery reentry to Earth.
But a malfunction in the upper stage of the Soyuz rocket booster that lofted the ship skyward scuppered its mission, leaving the craft without the required velocity to reach the planet and instead marooning it in an elliptical orbit around our own. Now, a telescope analysis conducted by a space researcher and satellite watcher has revealed that the descent module of the failed spaceship is due for an imminent fiery return to Earth — sometime around May 10, give or take a few days. When the 1,091 pound (495 kilograms), 3-foot (1 meter) lander returns to Earth, Langbroek predicts that it will be travelling at roughly 150 mph (242 km/h), so he likens the risk of its impact to that of a meteorite.
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