A Cold War relic from the Soviet space program is about to make an unexpected homecoming. Kosmos 482, a spacecraft originally designed to land on Venus, is projected to plunge back to Earth between May 8-12, 2025, after more than five decades circling our planet. The spacecraft, launched on March 31, 1972, was meant to be part of the Soviet Union‘s ambitious Venera program to explore Venus. However, a critical malfunction in its rocket engine left the probe stranded in Earth orbit instead of heading toward its intended destination. “It’s quite dense, whatever it is, because it had a very … Continue reading Kosmos 482 Soviet Venus Probe to Crash Back to Earth After 53 Years in Orbit