A significant event transpired over the weekend as the failed Venus mission, known as Kosmos 482, made its uncontrolled reentry into Earth’s atmosphere after orbiting aimlessly for an astounding 53 years. Various space agencies monitored this event closely, but conflicting reports have left the exact landing site of Kosmos 482 shrouded in uncertainty.
According to Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, Kosmos 482 reentered the atmosphere on Saturday, May 10, at approximately 2:24 a.m. ET. The spacecraft, a relic of the Soviet era, was designed to withstand the extreme temperatures associated with Venus, which raises the possibility that portions of it could have survived the intense heat during reentry before crashing on Earth. However, no visual observations of Kosmos 482's descent have been reported, nor has there been any recovery of debris from the ocean.
Roscosmos reported that the spacecraft splashed down in the Indian Ocean, roughly 350 miles (560 kilometers) west of Middle Andaman Island, near Jakarta, Indonesia. Meanwhile, the European Space Agency (ESA) also tracked the probe’s descent, estimating its reentry time to be around 2:16 a.m. ET. ESA was unable to detect Kosmos 482 over Germany during an expected pass at 3:32 a.m. ET, leading them to conclude that the reentry likely occurred prior to that time.
In contrast, the U.S. Space Force estimated the spacecraft’s reentry occurred between 1:20 a.m. and 1:44 a.m. ET. This discrepancy in reported times complicates efforts to determine the precise location where the spacecraft may have landed on Earth, or if it completely burned up in the atmosphere. Given that Kosmos 482 was traveling at an incredible speed of roughly 17,500 miles per hour (28,000 kilometers per hour), even a minor difference in timing can significantly alter the potential landing zone.
Kosmos 482 was launched on March 31, 1972, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in present-day Kazakhstan. The mission aimed to explore Venus, but it fell short of its goal after a malfunction prevented the spacecraft from achieving the necessary velocity to enter a transfer trajectory toward the intense heat of the planet. According to NASA, an engine burn failure resulted in Kosmos 482 becoming trapped in an elliptical orbit around Earth.
As time passed, atmospheric drag gradually affected Kosmos 482, leading to its anticipated reentry this past week. Initially, after failing to reach Venus, the spacecraft fragmented into four separate pieces, with two smaller fragments reentering the atmosphere over Ashburton, New Zealand, just two days post-launch. The remaining components include a carrier bus and a lander probe, which together weigh more than 1,000 pounds (495 kilograms) and form a spherical pressure vessel.
The spacecraft was equipped with a 27-square-foot (2.5-square-meter) parachute intended to slow its descent towards the surface of Venus. Recent images suggested that the parachute was still attached and fluttering in orbit, although it is improbable that it functioned effectively during Kosmos 482's descent toward Earth.
With the reentry of Kosmos 482, the long saga of this ancient Venus probe has reached its conclusion. However, many questions linger regarding the condition of the spacecraft upon landing and its final resting place. It remains uncertain whether the old probe lies in one piece at the bottom of the ocean or if its remains were completely incinerated during the prolonged descent. As the world awaits further updates, the legacy of Kosmos 482 serves as a reminder of the complexities and challenges associated with space exploration.
