Decades-old Soviet spacecraft expected to crash back to Earth early Saturday
It’s still not certain when the failed probe will reenter Earth’s orbit. However, NASA said it’s likely that it will make its fiery descent sometime before May 13.
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A decades-old Soviet spacecraft is expected to reenter Earth’s atmosphere early Saturday, but it’s still a mystery as to where it will land if it survives its fiery descent.
According to NASA, the spacecraft, known as Kosmos 482, Cosmos482 or simply 05919, was a Venus-bound probe that launched atop a Russian Soyuz rocket on March 31, 1972.
A decades-old Soviet spacecraft is expected to reenter the Earth’s atmosphere in the coming days.
(Alexander Chernov / NASA)
NASA said that after it achieved an Earth parking orbit, it attempted to launch on a Venus trajectory but failed.
Kosmos 482 broke into four sections – two of which remained in Earth’s orbit for 48 hours, and two larger pieces that have been circling Earth ever since.
NASA said that it’s believed that a malfunction resulted in an engine burn that didn’t provide enough velocity, and that’s why it remains in an elliptical Earth orbit.
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When will Kosmos 482 reenter Earth’s atmosphere?
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It’s still not certain when the failed probe will reenter Earth’s orbit. However, NASA said it’s likely that it will make its fiery descent sometime before May 13. On Friday, EU Space Surveillance and Tracking (EU SST) said it is most likely to come crashing back to Earth at 2:37 a.m. ET Saturday, with an uncertainty of +/- 3.28 hours.
Because the probe was designed to withstand the immense heat within Venus’ atmosphere, it’s possible that it will survive reentry and reach Earth’s surface. EU SST said the spacecraft, made with a titanium shell, "may survive and reach the ground almost intact."
However, it’s still unknown where the probe will hit the Earth. The EU map below shows the ground track with yellow and green lines showing the possible re-entry locations.
A map of the whole ground track. Yellow lines: ground track before the centre of the re-entry window. Green lines: ground track after the centre of the re-entry window. Red: overflights inside European countries and overseas territories. Marker: centre of the predicted re-entry window. Note: the possible re-entry locations lie anywhere along the yellow and green lines. The re-entry point is considered to be at an altitude of 80 km.
(EU SST / FOX Weather)
Astronomer Jonathan McDowell, who tracks objects in space, wrote that the entry capsule’s heat shield weighs about half a ton and might survive Earth’s atmosphere re-entry and hit the ground. He estimates it has the "usual one-in-several-thousand chance of hitting someone."
"No need for major concern, but you wouldn't want it bashing you on the head," McDowell said.
As the probe approaches reentry, more details will be learned, and more information will likely be released about where it could impact Earth.