Cosmos 482 (Venera 9) Probe Near future Reentry

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A Venera space-probe was launched in the early 1970s shortly after Venera 8 was launched and if it had successfully been injected into a heliocentric orbit it would've been Venera 9 but instead failed to leave orbit with the Soviets renaming it Cosmos 482 in an effort to sae face. It's orbit has been slowly decaying since then and it will reenter in the near future which is a bit problematic given that it has a descent vehicle designed to land on the surface of Venus, from Scott Manley:


In 1972 the Soviet union launched two spacecraft to explore the planet Venus, Venera 8 would become the second spacecraft to land on Venus, while the other spacecraft got stuck in Earth orbit and so was designated Kosmos 482. Now, 50 years later we expect the spacecraft to finally fall back to Earth, and unlike most spacecraft this one is designed to survive atmospheric entry. So it could land as a solid mass and maybe there's hardware that will survive, or more likely it will land in the ocean and sink....
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Track the spacecraft's descent on Marco Langbroek's site.
https://sattrackcam.blogspot.com
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From the Cosmos 482 wikipedia page:

Kosmos 482 (Russian: Космос 482 meaning Cosmos 482), launched March 31, 1972, at 04:02:33 UTC, was an attempted Venus probe which failed to escape low Earth orbit. It is expected to crash back to Earth sometime around May 9–10, 2025.[1][2] Its landing module, which weighs 495 kilograms (1,091 lb),[3] is highly likely to reach the surface of Earth in one piece as it was designed to withstand 300 G's of acceleration and 100 atmospheres of pressure.[4]
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The remaining 2 pieces in orbit are expected to reenter sometime in the second week of May 2025, potentially May 9 or 10th.[1][2][8]
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Having a 1,091lb descent module land on oneself would really that person's day, it will be interesting to see where it lands.

The space-probe was launched on March 31, 1972 by a Molniya LV and the space-probe was the 3MV design:

Type 3MV space-probe:

Nave_espacial_Venera_8.jpg
 
Either it will land in the ocean or burn during reentry.
 
If that is the lander's parachute deployed it will be very quickly stripped away and burn upon reentry but if the parachute hasn't deployed then it almost certainly won't due to a) the lander's batteries being totally flat after 52 years in orbit and b) the parachute itself would be a frozen lump with no active heating.
 
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"I had to deal with two of these things already... you're on your own--I quit!"

Former OSI agent Steve Austin...last seen at Portmeirion with *another* rover.
 
The Story Of Kosmos 482, The Soviet Spaceship About To Crash To Earth

Part of the Kosmos 482 spacecraft – a handful of round titanium pressure vessels, which may have been part of rocket engines, rained down on New Zealand a few days later, causing quite a stir and making into a New Zealand government report on UFOs which was released in 2011.
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…

New Zealand, farmer Dennis O’Sullivan was just 17 years old when he discovered one of the spheres in his turnip field.

“I saw this mound in the paddock, and I thought it was a dead sheep,” he told The Press decades later. “I went closer, and there was this metal ball lying there next to a bit of a hollow about three feet away.” It turned out to be a titanium alloy sphere, marked with Russian labels. O’Sullivan hefted the 30 pound sphere and carried in his lap on the drive back to the farmhouse to call the police.

At least one of the spheres spent the night in jail after its apprehension by local police. John Lindores, who found the sphere on his property, told The Press the police “took it to Ashburton Jail and locked it up for the night.”
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…

Under international treaty – signed not long before Kosmos 482’s ill-fated launch, at that – the spheres still belonged to the Soviet Union and should have been returned. But the USSR disavowed all knowledge of the spaceship parts scattered across Ashburton and the surrounding area. That left them as bizarre souvenirs for the stunned Kiwis on whose property they’d landed. Lindores loaned his, permanently, to the Ashburton Aviation Museum. O’Sullivan has kept his “in a corner of his lounge” for the last 53 years, after a failed attempt to sell it on eBay.
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www.forbes.com

The Story Of Kosmos 482, The Soviet Spaceship About To Crash To Earth

After 53 years in orbit, wayward Soviet spacecraft Kosmos 482 finally gets to land – albeit on the wrong planet.
www.forbes.com www.forbes.com
 
Flyaway said:
The Story Of Kosmos 482, The Soviet Spaceship About To Crash To Earth



…



…



www.forbes.com

The Story Of Kosmos 482, The Soviet Spaceship About To Crash To Earth

After 53 years in orbit, wayward Soviet spacecraft Kosmos 482 finally gets to land – albeit on the wrong planet.
www.forbes.com www.forbes.com
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Wouldn't it be ironic if Cosmos 482's lander ended up reentering and landing in the same area of New Zealand the other parts did 50+ years earlier;):D.

On another note, from Anton Petrov:


Hello and welcome! My name is Anton and in this video, we will talk about the Kosmos 482 Venus probe that's crashing back to Earth
Links:
https://theconversation.com/more-than...https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa2JoeVktTVdIR2luTThnaURlMWF4UFZiTzdLUXxBQ3Jtc0tsQkdHbG1QbjU2WHY0cG1SLWY5aEwzNXN3MjR6ckZGRHIxSjQ5NGxKdlJwWlRUM01IUERWc3prbkR5OWpCUzNRaUMxdFVqODVlRDVBeWlRaVBEME4zVTVjWlFPMHh5WDNFd1NVejYyMDAxaE50MlJFbw&q=https://theconversation.com/more-than-50-years-after-trying-to-reach-venus-a-failed-soviet-spacecraft-is-about-to-return-to-earth-255836&v=SSceyYTppRo
https://sattrackcam.blogspot.com/2025...https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbHgxR251SndVTEJTTGF2ZU9PdHNDbU02dnI1UXxBQ3Jtc0tsZUt0UWs5a2ZUNTRWVEpOZkdOaWRENXJudkhQY3ljMUI1Vm05VlhWMFJEcVI0THBVaHo2QVdVZW9uUW9tNVIzdGR5OUNBWHBuTnlQbHh0aW4xQVV6V2Y1blJKUl9pcU5kTGJpUkh5bXdBSU9jRkI0TQ&q=https://sattrackcam.blogspot.com/2025/04/kosmos-842-descent-craft-reentry.html&v=SSceyYTppRo
https://pauldmaley.com/sd3/https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbE9aaU1EQUxFX0Z1TldFejRpNTc5QU9UUlY2Z3xBQ3Jtc0tuRGpKekw0QW4zYkdJLUdJVEN0aDdDMkVBU1dnTU1NS3drSW9NQktETEFHYm9WbzdOT3E2MVhyUVhEcnQ3Ni1EUU5CTnhvbmdqRWxFazdKQlpHa1pnOTlnTjdWVFRVZk56WVhZZUk2bVk3OHdWaXlOUQ&q=https://pauldmaley.com/sd3/&v=SSceyYTppRo
https://ashburtonmuseum.wordpress.com...https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa2VYTWVpSmh5aS1XLWl6MDRkeFU4X0VTTmNYd3xBQ3Jtc0tuSlpTWnpacjNwNVJFamNvRFpYM0hqODhOcXlkNmVLZFJpX0luSGY1aUVoNTJnV3l3dEF2c0Y1bC1YSUpOZlo2OXFoODM4bHFDYnhveVVMOHZLQTBBekQwVWlHZnZtS3JDTTVqX0UtNXBnM1VfcG10bw&q=https://ashburtonmuseum.wordpress.com/2022/04/09/the-space-balls-when-cosmic-junk-landed-in-mid-canterbury/&v=SSceyYTppRo
https://stuffin.space/
Venus videos:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_C06srX2j0

• Experiments Just Solved Several Myste...
• Our View of Venus Just Changed After ...
• We Discovered That Venus Has Seasons ...
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFoLGXKvgRA

Kerbal Space videos:
https://studio.youtube.com/playlist/P...https://studio.youtube.com/playlist/PL9hNFus3sjE6mTE50MsY1zjJzv4bm3SKF/videos
#kosmos482 #venus #probe
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0:00 SPACE BALLS
1:29 Failed Soviet mission of 1972
2:14 Venera missions
3:20 More about this mission and why it failed - Kosmos 482
5:00 What will happen?
6:10 Recent observations and strange trails
7:00 Where will it crash?
7:40 What if it crashes on land?
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I found the mention of Space Balls at the beginning of the video amusing as it made me think of a certain 1987 Mel Brooks Star Wars spoof film;):D.
 
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On 10 May, an uncontrolled reentry will take place of the so-called Cosmos-482 descent craft, a Soviet Venera landing capsule that launched 53 years ago.

This post provides live updates from ESA’s Space Debris Office on the atmospheric reentry of the Cosmos-482 descent craft. New updates will be added at the top of this page, so check back for the latest.

On 10 May, an uncontrolled reentry will take place of the so-called Cosmos-482 descent craft, a Soviet Venera landing capsule that launched 53 years ago. It was meant to land on Venus, but its launcher never escaped Earth’s gravity. Now, the descent craft will come down at a point between 52 degrees north and south of the equator. As the reentry comes closer, the predictions will become more precise in the updates directly below (last to first).
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Reentry prediction Soviet-era Venera Venus lander (Cosmos-482 descent craft) – Rocket Science

News from the edge of gravity
blogs.esa.int blogs.esa.int
 
I just stumbled onto this article concerning Cosmos 482's impending reentry:

Doomed Soviet spacecraft Kosmos 482 could hit Earth tonight. Here's when

The failed Soviet spacecraft Kosmos 482 could crash to Earth overnight tonight after more than 50 years in the wrong orbit. Here are the latest predictions on the exact time of reentry, and where it could land.

An illustration of a satellite crashing into the ocean after an uncontrolled reentry through Earth's atmosphere

An illustration of a satellite crashing into the ocean after an uncontrolled reentry through Earth's atmosphere. A similar fate is expected to await the Soviet Kosmos 482 probe, which could fall to Earth tonight. (Image credit: Getty Images)

The failed Soviet spacecraft Kosmos 482 will conclude its roughly 50-year jaunt through Earth's orbit this weekend, with experts predicting it could crash back to our planet as soon as tonight (May 9).

The latest predictions from the European Space Agency (ESA) reveal that the Kosmos 482 Descent Craft is poised to reenter Earth's atmosphere at approximately 2:26 a.m. EDT (06:26 GMT) on Saturday, May 10. The uncertainty for the prediction is plus or minus 4.35 hours, giving us an estimated reentry window of roughly 10 p.m. EDT Friday (May 9) to 7 a.m EDT Saturday, according to ESA.
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Ward Carroll has put in his two-cents worth:


Space experts predict Kosmos 482, a lander built by the Soviet Union for a failed mission in 1972, will fall out of orbit around 1:54 AM eastern daylight time on May 10, plus or minus nine hours.
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The lander was designed to penetrate the atmosphere of Venus, which is around 800 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than Earth’s atmosphere. That means it’s very likely that the three and a half foot wide, 1,200-pound titanium shelled craft won’t disintegrate during reentry and will make it to the surface intact.
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The Launch Pad channel has a live-streaming video up:


Track Russia Cosmos 482 uncontrolled ReEntry live!!
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Personally I hope the lander has a touchdown on land (It would be nice if it landed here in New Zealand although Australia would be acceptable).
 
You are welcome, buddy.

According to NASAspaceflight forum experts the damn thing reentered between Andaman & Nicobar and Jakarta, that is in the eastern Indian Ocean.
 
Have there been any sightings along that predicted reentry corridor?

Edit: several reports concerning its reentry.


The Soviet spacecraft Kosmos 482 – originally launched toward Venus – appears to have reentered Earth’s atmosphere and crashed on the morning of Saturday, May 10, 2025, most likely in the Indian Ocean.
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#Kosmos482https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/kosmos482
#SovietSpacecrafthttps://www.youtube.com/hashtag/sovietspacecraft
#VeneraProgramhttps://www.youtube.com/hashtag/veneraprogram
#venusmission
#SovietEraSpacecraft
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https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/sovieteraspacecraft
Predictions for the earthly plunge of a wayward Soviet era Venus space probe are narrowing as the old spacecraft is expected to crash back to Earth Friday night.
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A half-ton Soviet-era spacecraft launched in 1972 is expected crash into Earth after orbiting the planet for 53 years. Originally destined for Venus but stuck in orbit after a rocket malfunction, the craft is expected to return sometime Saturday. NBC News' Gadi Schwartz talked with astronomer Jonathan McDowell about why the capsule could survive re-entry and why he doesn't think people should be concerned.
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Cosmos 482 has reentered since the last two videos were uploaded.
 
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Flyaway said:
www.forbes.com

Soviet Spacecraft Cosmos 482 Location After Reentry Baffling Watchers

The super-tough Soviet space probe that left Earth 53 years ago on a mission for Venus it never came close to completing has finally come home.
www.forbes.com www.forbes.com
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Let's hope that the splashdown point can be accurately narrowed down and then see if the lander could be raised using a salvage-vessel to put it in a museum (Given how rugged its' construction is the lander is very likely still intact).
 

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