A failed Soviet spacecraft once destined to go to Venus will plummet towards Earth this weekend after decades stuck in space – scientists say it could land on the UK
An out-of-control Soviet spacecraft is set to crash into Earth this week – and it could hit Britain.
After initially estimating that it would land at some point within a five-day window this month, scientists are now confident that the Cosmos-482 – a failed Russian Venus lander stranded in Earth’s orbit since 1972 – will make an “uncontrolled re-entry” at 08.12 BST on Sunday. The exact landing site is still unknown, but the potential impact zone of the craft covers much of the globe between 52° north and 52° south latitude – which takes in the south of England and parts of Wales.
And because the probe was designed to survive Venus’ harsh atmosphere, some parts, especially the titanium descent capsule, are likely reach the surface intact.
Scientists had constructed Cosmos-482 in the 1970s under the USSR’s ambitious Venera programme, which set out to gather new information about Venus.
Things initially appeared promising when the craft launched on March 31, 1972, and it successfully made it into Earth’s orbit.
But an incorrectly set timer on board the automated craft is thought to have botched the crucial second stage, meaning it never reached Venus, and didn’t even leave Earth’s orbit.
It has been orbiting our planet ever since, and during this time has split into four pieces.
One of Cosmos-482’s pieces – the landing module – is now set to return to Earth. It is estimated to be around one metre long and weigh 480kg (75st).
After predicting it would fall for years, space agencies are closely monitoring the module’s descent – and most forecasts suggest it will likely fall into the ocean, rather than on land.
The European Space Agency said: “On 10 May, an uncontrolled reentry will take place of the so-called Cosmos-482 descent craft, a Soviet Venera landing capsule that launched 53 years ago.
“It was meant to land on Venus, but its launcher never escaped Earth’s gravity. Now, the descent craft will come down at a point between 52 degrees north and south of the equator.
“As the reentry comes closer, the predictions will become more precise in the updates.”
NASA also released an update on the progress of the craft today. It read: “The orbit of the Cosmos 482 lander probe is decaying and it is expected to reenter Earth’s atmosphere some time from May 9 to May 10, 2025, centred on roughly May 10 at 07:30 UT.
“Because the probe was designed to withstand entry into the Venus atmosphere, it is possible the probe will survive reentry at Earth and reach the surface.
“As of May 8, the landing location could be anywhere between 52 N and 52 S latitude. The time and location of atmospheric reentry should be known more accurately over the next day or so, but the uncertainty will be fairly significant right up to reentry.”