An out-of-control Soviet-era spacecraft is expected to reenter Earth's atmosphere and crash on Saturday. The object, known as Cosmos 482 (also spelled Kosmos 482), was originally launched by the Soviet Union in March 1972 as part of a mission to explore Venus. It was designed to make a soft landing on the planet and study its atmosphere. However, the mission failed, and the spacecraft remained trapped in Earth's orbit for more than 50 years.
When Could the Spacecraft Crash?
The reentry window for Cosmos 482 is projected to fall between 10 p.m. ET on Friday and 6:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, according to CNN.
The European Space Agency’s tracker further narrows that window, estimating the spacecraft’s descent will occur around 2:30 a.m. ET (06:37 UTC) on Saturday.
Where Could It Crash?
Cosmos 482 could crash anywhere between 52 degrees North and 52 degrees South latitude, according to NBC News. That includes large swaths of the planet, covering parts of North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Because the potential impact zone covers a vast area, it is nearly impossible to pinpoint the exact crash location in advance.
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Is It Dangerous?
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Is It Dangerous?
{{/usCountry}}Most objects that reenter Earth's atmosphere burn up before reaching the ground, explains Vishnu Reddy, a planetary science professor at the University of Arizona. However, Cosmos 482 is different.
“This is a lander that’s supposed to land on Venus. Venus has an atmosphere that is 100 times more dense than ours. In other words, it was built to survive a hellish condition,” Reddy told AZ Family.
Because of its rugged design, parts of the spacecraft could survive reentry, but the risk to people on the ground remains low.
“The hope is that most of it will burn down in the Earth’s atmosphere and then even if something makes it down, it’ll fall in the ocean. And we can forget about it,” he added, “You have to be incredibly unlucky to get hit by this thing.”