After 53 years in orbit, the long-stranded Kosmos 482 spacecraft has finally returned to Earth. Originally launched by the Soviet Union in 1972 as part of its Venus exploration program, the probe failed to leave Earth’s orbit and reentered the atmosphere on May 10, 2025, over the Indian Ocean near Jakarta.
A Mission That Never Reached Venus
Kosmos 482 was built for a daring mission to Venus under the Soviet Venera program. However, a rocket failure left the spacecraft trapped in an elliptical Earth orbit. Instead of exploring Venus’ hostile atmosphere, the probe spent over five decades circling our planet.
Final Descent Captured on Camera
Astronomer Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope Project photographed the spacecraft as it made one of its final passes over Rome just before dawn on May 10. The probe appeared as a dashed light trail across the sky — a result of Masi stacking four consecutive images.
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Built to Survive Extreme Reentry
Unlike most space debris, which typically burns up during atmospheric reentry, Kosmos 482 was designed to endure extreme conditions. The probe was engineered to land on Venus, where surface temperatures exceed 450°C. That resilience may have helped it survive the plunge through Earth’s thinner atmosphere.
A Reminder of the Space Junk Problem
Kosmos 482’s return adds to the growing global focus on aging satellites and orbital debris. While this spacecraft caused no damage, its decades-long descent highlights the need for long-term solutions to manage space junk.
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