Experts have announced that a Soviet satellite that has been in orbit for 50 years is expected to collide with Earth later this week.
The Soviet Union launched Kosmos 482 in March 1972 to collect data about the surface of Venus. However, due to an operational failure, the satellite failed to properly escape Earth’s gravitational pull.
The main body of the satellite was considered destroyed after it reentered Earth’s atmosphere and burned up in 1981. However, the remaining part of the 53-year-old satellite is expected to hit Earth in the coming days.
Kosmos 482 is predicted to reenter Earth’s atmosphere between May 8 and 11, according to experts. But where will it fall? Earthsky.org stated that it is “extremely difficult” to pinpoint exactly where the satellite will reenter the atmosphere.
However, projections suggest it could impact “anywhere between 52 degrees north and 52 degrees south latitude,” making an oceanic impact highly likely.
“The risks involved are not particularly high, but they are not zero,” said Dr. Marco Langbroek, a researcher of spy satellites at the Dutch tracking station SatTrackCam Leiden.
“With a mass of just under 500 kg and a size of 1 meter, the risks are somewhat similar to those of a meteorite impact,” the expert added.
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