1972 Kosmos 482 Descent Craft, failed mission to Venus, launched March 31, 1972, at 04:02:33 UTC – Its landing module, which weighs 495 kilograms (1,091 lb), 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. Russia denied knowing anything about the failed pieces and parts that fell in New Zealand in 1972, though they were later determined to be Soviet in origin because of manufacturing marks and the high-tech welding of the titanium. (Wikipedia)
Incoming from Above, Timing Unknown
SPACEWEATHER.COM NEWS: 04/30/2025
A “HIGH INTEREST” REENTRY: In 1972, the Soviet Union’s Kosmos 482 spacecraft was supposed to land on Venus. Instead, it’s about to return to Earth. ETA: May 10th, give or take a few days.
“The reentry of the Kosmos 482 Descent Craft will not be your standard reentry,” says satellite analyst Marco Langbroek, who has been tracking the object for years. “The Descent Craft was designed to survive entry through the dense atmosphere of Venus. It will therefore likely survive reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere intact and make a crash landing. This will therefore be a high-interest reentry.”
