Soviet Spacecraft Expected To Crash Back To Earth In The Coming Days

A Soviet spacecraft launched into space over 53 years ago is expected to plunge back to Earth.

The Soviets launched the spacecraft Kosmos 482 in the 1970s and initially expected it to land on Venus.

Dutch scientist Marco Langbroek, expects the spacecraft to reenter the Earth’s atmosphere on May 10.

Space debris-tracking experts cannot confirm where the spacecraft will land or how much of the spacecraft will survive reentry.

A Soviet spacecraft is expected to crash land on Earth this week. If it survives reentry, Kosmos 482's possible landing zone includes the entire contiguous United States, the UK, Australia, South America, and Africa. https://t.co/8NWbmvfoq1 pic.twitter.com/uf6cyE0DYs

— AccuWeather (@accuweather) May 5, 2025

Check out what CBS reported:

A Soviet spacecraft is plunging back to Earth this week 53 years after it was launched. Here’s what to know.

Just weeks ago, scientists warned that a “city killer” asteroid had a small chance of hitting Earth. While that prediction was thankfully revised, the planet may have to worry about another object plummeting down from the heavens — a 1970s spacecraft called Kosmos 482.

The Soviet-era spacecraft meant to land on Venus a half century ago is expected to soon plunge uncontrolled back to Earth.

It’s too early to know where the half-ton mass of metal might come down or how much of it will survive reentry, according to space debris-tracking experts.

Dutch scientist Marco Langbroek, a lecturer at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, predicts the failed spacecraft will reenter around May 10. He estimates it will come crashing in at 150 mph, if it remains intact.

“While not without risk, we should not be too worried,” Langbroek said in an email.

The object is relatively small and, even if it doesn’t break apart, “the risk is similar to that of a random meteorite fall, several of which happen each year. You run a bigger risk of getting hit by lightning in your lifetime,” he said.

The chance of the spacecraft actually hitting someone or something is small, he added. “But it cannot be completely excluded.”

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— SanDiegoCABorn&Dreamin' (@OceanDreamin1) May 6, 2025

Per Accuweather:

A Cold War-era spacecraft is about to return to Earth, the final leg of its failed mission to explore one of our closest cosmic neighbors.

Kosmos 482 was launched by the Soviet Union in 1972 to travel to Venus and pass through the planet’s thick atmosphere. However, an issue with the launch left the spacecraft in limbo, orbiting the Earth for decades. Fast forward 53 years, and it is about to make an uncontrolled reentry into Earth’s atmosphere.

“Because the probe was designed to withstand entry into the Venus atmosphere, it is possible the probe (or parts of it) will survive reentry at Earth and reach the surface,” NASA said.

The probe is expected to return to Earth between Friday, May 9, and Sunday, May 11.

Where could Kosmos 482 crash land?

Experts tracking the defunct spacecraft estimate it could reenter the atmosphere anywhere between 52 degrees north latitude and 52 degrees south latitude. This includes all of Africa, South America, the contiguous United States, Australia and New Zealand, most of Europe and most of Asia.

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The massive area of the globe also includes most of the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean. Since there is more water than land in the expected reentry area, odds favor the spacecraft landing in an ocean, but there is still a risk it could hit land.