Kosmos 482 launched in 1972 on a mission to Venus as a Soviet-era Venera spacecraft. Now, international space agencies are tracking its activity more than ever. According to recent tracking data from the European Space Agency, a large portion of this historic spacecraft has likely re-entered Earth’s atmosphere. As we discussed back in 2018, this is noteworthy after more than fifty years of orbiting our planet.
Launched in 1972, Kosmos 482 had been intended to orbit Venus. It never made it to its intended orbit and instead became stuck in Earth orbit. Over the last few decades, the craft broke into four separate chunks that have been orbiting the planet themselves ever since it was launched. Kosmos 482 lander capsule was designed to withstand the harrowing heat and pressure of Venus’s atmosphere. Despite its ultimate failure to achieve its mission, it was an engineering marvel with a stout structure and strong heat shield to prove it.
The European Space Agency announced that it too, was tracking Kosmos 482 with extra care. NASA experts think the spacecraft re-entry is not likely to cause widespread damage or injury. Humanity’s life support system after all, more than 70% of our planet is covered by water.
space debris expert Stijn Lemmens told CNN at the time that there was little cause for alarm about such occurrences.
“It’s much more likely that you win the lottery than that you get impacted by this piece of space debris,” – Stijn Lemmens
Experts further suggest that the lander capsule of Kosmos 482 could have potentially survived an uncontrolled descent through the atmosphere. The capsule’s design is specifically built to survive the extreme atmospheric environment found on Venus. This sturdy design was probably key to its success in surviving re-entry.
As space agencies continue to track remnants of Kosmos 482, there is an ongoing discussion regarding the safety of future spacecraft. Lemmens noted,
“They should be designed in such a way that they can take themselves out of orbit safely, preferably by doing controlled re-entries.” – Stijn Lemmens
This incident highlights the need for improved management and mitigation strategies concerning space debris, particularly as the frequency of satellite launches increases globally. These agencies have decades of collaborative space exploration experience. As a result, they are now taking a more proactive approach to monitor and mitigate risks posed by improving aging spacecraft.
