A replica of the Venera 4 probe—the first to send data from another planet’s atmosphere—resembles the Soviet Kosmos 482 spacecraft, which launched shortly afterward in 1972 but failed to leave Earth’s orbit.
Early Saturday morning, Kosmos 482 is believed to have made an uncontrolled reentry into Earth’s atmosphere. The European Space Agency (ESA), which had been tracking its descent, reported that the spacecraft was last detected by radar over Germany. Shortly after, it disappeared from radar, leading ESA to conclude the reentry had most likely occurred. No reports of damage or injuries have surfaced.
Kosmos 482 was part of the USSR’s Venera program, which aimed to study Venus. While ten missions from that program successfully landed on the planet, the launch vehicle carrying Kosmos 482 malfunctioned, leaving the descent module stranded in orbit around Earth. For over five decades, the roughly 3-foot-wide, 1,069-pound spacecraft gradually descended in a decaying orbit until it eventually fell back to Earth.
Although space debris routinely reenters Earth’s atmosphere—more than 2,400 objects did so in 2022 alone—most burn up or land in the ocean. Kosmos 482, however, was uniquely robust, having been designed to survive Venus’ extreme atmospheric conditions, including temperatures near 867°F (464°C). That durability made it capable of withstanding reentry through Earth’s atmosphere.
Despite concerns about falling space debris, there has never been a recorded human fatality from such incidents.
According to ESA, the likelihood of an individual being injured by reentering space debris is less than 1 in 100 billion—making it far less likely than being struck by lightning. The U.S. Space Force had previously predicted the spacecraft would reenter near 1:52 a.m. ET on Saturday over the Pacific Ocean, west of Guam.
