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New York Post
01-05-2025
- Science
- New York Post
Scientist reveals odds that failed Soviet satellite Kosmos 482 crash is deadly
Heads up! It's not just asteroids that are threatening to rock our world. A defunct Soviet satellite is slated to hurtle back to Earth next week, prompting concerns from space experts that we could potentially be in the line of fire. The unit 'might well survive Earth atmosphere entry and hit the ground,' warned British-American astronomer Jonathan McDowell in a blog post. 'In which case, I expect it'll have the usual one-in-several-thousand chance of hitting someone.' 3 Scientists warn that risks involved are not zero. ESA/David Ducross Launched in March 1972 by the USSR, the Kosmos 482 probe was dispatched to gather data from Venus' inhospitable surface, Livescience reported. However, due to a malfunction with one of the rocket boosters, the intergalactic recon machine was left stranded in Earth's orbit — literally spiraling out of control. The dead spacecraft — which is around the size of a car — is now on track for reentry sometime between May 7 and 13, give or take a few days. Marco Langbroek, a Dutch space expert who discovered the lander's impending comeback tour, speculated in a blog post that it is possible that the satellite could penetrate Earth's forcefield and 'impact intact' because it was designed to 'survive passage' through Venus' fiery atmosphere. He reportedly even concocted a model for the errant spacecraft's reentry, which clocks the wreckage's end velocity at 145 miles per hour-plus on the ground or ocean impact, reported. MacDowell analogized this phenomenon to 'a car falling out of the air at 100 to 200 miles per hour.' 3 The Venera 4, a Venus probe that was the first to transmit data from the atmosphere of another planet. NASA And while Langbroek noted that the probe was equipped with a parachute, he 'wouldn't bet on that working now, and would assume that, if it survives re-entry, it would come down hard.' 'With a mass of just under 500 kg (around 1,100 pounds) and 1-meter (over 3 feet) size, risks are similar to that of a meteorite impact,' he deduced. Thankfully, we don't need to brace for deep impact just yet, per Langbroek, who pointed out that the 'risks involved are not particularly high, but not zero.' 3 The Venera 4, an earlier prototype. The Kosmos 482 ''might well survive Earth atmosphere entry and hit the ground,' warned British-American astronomer Jonathan McDowell in a blog post. NASA MacDowell seconded this assurance that we likely won't get struck by the 'dense but inert' space junk as most of the world is not inhabited by people. 'If you land something in a random part of the Earth, the chance that it hits a person is about one in 10,000,' the expert told the Daily Mail. 'The chance that it hits you is then one in 10 billion – smaller than that.' He quipped in the blog post, 'No need for major concern, but you wouldn't want it bashing you on the head.' As for where the haywire hardware will potentially land, Langbroek speculated that it could strike 'anywhere between 52 degrees north and 52 degrees south latitude,' an area that encompasses 'much of south and mid-latitude Europe and Asia, as well as the Americas and the whole of Africa and Australia.' 'Of course, the biggest chances are that it will land in one of the oceans,' he said. In the event that the errant satellite does 'cause damage – or worse, to hurt someone – that would be something that the Russian government would be liable for,' said MacDowell. Kosmos 482 was designed as a sister probe to Venera 8, which launched in July 1972 and landed on Venus's sweltering surface, becoming the second-ever spacecraft to do so. The satellite then transmitted data from Venus for just over 50 minutes before ultimately combusting in the fiery environment.
The Irish Sun
29-04-2025
- Science
- The Irish Sun
Cold War era Soviet spaceship destined for Venus to FINALLY crash back to Earth at 17,000mph… and could hit UK
A COLD War era Soviet spaceship destined for Venus is set to crash back to Earth, and it could hit the UK. Kosmos 482 took off in 1972, but a failed launch left the spaceship circling lifelessly above us – until now. Advertisement 6 A Cold War Soviet spaceship is set to crash back into Earth on May 10 Credit: ESA/David Ducross 6 Soviet spaceship Venera 4 being prepared for it's flight to Venus in 1967 Credit: Getty 6 Kosmos 482 - the craft set to hit Earth - was launched five years after the Venera 4 Credit: Getty 6 The red-zone shows where the spaceship could hit Marco Langbroek, a satellite tracker based in the Netherlands, has predicted that the spacecraft will strike the Earth on May 10. And according to the satellite watcher it's set to hit hard and fast, at a staggering speed of 17,000mph. The Venus probe was originally built with a parachute but Langbroek warned that it would be unlikely to still work. He added: "With a mass of just under 500 kg and 1-meter size, risks are similar to that of a meteorite impact." Advertisement read more on spaceships Kosmos 482 is expected to fall a nywhere between latitude 52 degrees north and 52 degrees south - putting London in immediate danger . Also in the red-zone are Australia, South America, and Africa, as well as parts of Europe, North America and Asia. But while the UK is at risk, experts have said the spacecraft is most likely that the spaceship will land in the ocean. The Kosmos 482 was previously feared to hit the Earth back in 2019. Advertisement Most read in Tech Exclusive Exclusive Exclusive Video footage from October 2020 shows the failed spaceship plummeting out of orbit. The startling footage shows the out-of-control craft hurtling through the sky - headed for Earth. Watch moment crashing Chinese spaceship streaks through skies over US & breaks apart in storm of falling fireballs We've known that Kosmos 482 would fall to Earth for years – after a disastrous launch during the Cold War space race left the space junk floating. Soviet space missions typically involved putting spacecraft into an Earth "parking orbit". Advertisement The craft acted as a launch platform in space - complete with a rocket engine and probe. The probe would be launched towards its target – but if unsuccessful, it would be left in orbit and re-branded as a "Kosmos" craft. Kosmos 482 was launched by a Soviet Molniya booster on March 31, 1972, as part of a mission to Venus. The craft successfully made it into an Earth parking orbit, but Soviet scientists failed to launch the probe into its Venus trajectory causing it to break into four pieces. Advertisement Two of these chunks remained in a low-Earth orbit and fell onto New Zealand within two days. A NASA report at the time said: "The Blok L escape stage's main engine prematurely cut off after only 125 seconds of firing due to a failure in the onboard timer. "As a result, the spacecraft entered an elliptical orbit around Earth. "Officially, the Soviets named the probe Kosmos 482 to disguise its true mission." Advertisement What was Kosmos 482? By Lydia Doye KOSMOS 482 launched by a Soviet Molniya booster on March 31, 1972, as part of a mission to Venus. The craft successfully made it into an Earth parking orbit, but Soviet scientists failed to launch the probe into its Venus trajectory causing it to break into four pieces. Two of these chunks remained in a low-Earth orbit and fell onto New Zealand within two days. The remainder of the craft is now expected to hurtle into the Earth in May at a staggering speed of 17,000mph. On the morning of April 3, 1972, four titanium alloy balls that weighed around 30lbs fell within a 10 mile area outside of Ashburton, New Zealand. The balls – which measured around 15 inches across – scorched holes in crops and left deep indentations, though no one was hurt. According to international space law, the junk was supposed to be returned to its home nation. But Soviet top brass denied all knowledge of the origins of the junk, so the farmer who owned the land where the balls fell kept them instead. Advertisement Two other pieces from Kosmos 482 went into a higher orbit - and are now expected to fall. 6 This diagram of a Soviet Venera spacecraft reveals what the probe may have looked like Credit: Getty 6 The Venera preparing for launch Credit: Getty
Scottish Sun
29-04-2025
- Science
- Scottish Sun
Cold War era Soviet spaceship destined for Venus to FINALLY crash back to Earth at 17,000mph… and could hit UK
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A COLD War era Soviet spaceship destined for Venus is set to crash back to Earth, and it could hit the UK. Kosmos 482 took off in 1972, but a failed launch left the spaceship circling lifelessly above us – until now. 6 A Cold War Soviet spaceship is set to crash back into Earth on May 10 Credit: ESA/David Ducross 6 Soviet spaceship Venera 4 being prepared for it's flight to Venus in 1967 Credit: Getty 6 Kosmos 482 - the craft set to hit Earth - was launched five years after the Venera 4 Credit: Getty 6 The red-zone shows where the spaceship could hit Marco Langbroek, a satellite tracker based in the Netherlands, has predicted that the spacecraft will strike the Earth on May 10. And according to the satellite watcher it's set to hit hard and fast, at a staggering speed of 17,000mph. The Venus probe was originally built with a parachute but Langbroek warned that it would be unlikely to still work. He added: "With a mass of just under 500 kg and 1-meter size, risks are similar to that of a meteorite impact." read more on spaceships RUINED WRECK Watch as crashing China spaceship streaks through skies over US & breaks apart Kosmos 482 is expected to fall anywhere between latitude 52 degrees north and 52 degrees south - putting London in immediate danger. Also in the red-zone are Australia, South America, and Africa, as well as parts of Europe, North America and Asia. But while the UK is at risk, experts have said the spacecraft is most likely that the spaceship will land in the ocean. The Kosmos 482 was previously feared to hit the Earth back in 2019. Video footage from October 2020 shows the failed spaceship plummeting out of orbit. The startling footage shows the out-of-control craft hurtling through the sky - headed for Earth. Watch moment crashing Chinese spaceship streaks through skies over US & breaks apart in storm of falling fireballs We've known that Kosmos 482 would fall to Earth for years – after a disastrous launch during the Cold War space race left the space junk floating. Soviet space missions typically involved putting spacecraft into an Earth "parking orbit". The craft acted as a launch platform in space - complete with a rocket engine and probe. The probe would be launched towards its target – but if unsuccessful, it would be left in orbit and re-branded as a "Kosmos" craft. Kosmos 482 was launched by a Soviet Molniya booster on March 31, 1972, as part of a mission to Venus. The craft successfully made it into an Earth parking orbit, but Soviet scientists failed to launch the probe into its Venus trajectory causing it to break into four pieces. Two of these chunks remained in a low-Earth orbit and fell onto New Zealand within two days. A NASA report at the time said: "The Blok L escape stage's main engine prematurely cut off after only 125 seconds of firing due to a failure in the onboard timer. "As a result, the spacecraft entered an elliptical orbit around Earth. "Officially, the Soviets named the probe Kosmos 482 to disguise its true mission." What was Kosmos 482? By Lydia Doye KOSMOS 482 launched by a Soviet Molniya booster on March 31, 1972, as part of a mission to Venus. The craft successfully made it into an Earth parking orbit, but Soviet scientists failed to launch the probe into its Venus trajectory causing it to break into four pieces. Two of these chunks remained in a low-Earth orbit and fell onto New Zealand within two days. The remainder of the craft is now expected to hurtle into the Earth in May at a staggering speed of 17,000mph. On the morning of April 3, 1972, four titanium alloy balls that weighed around 30lbs fell within a 10 mile area outside of Ashburton, New Zealand. The balls – which measured around 15 inches across – scorched holes in crops and left deep indentations, though no one was hurt. According to international space law, the junk was supposed to be returned to its home nation. But Soviet top brass denied all knowledge of the origins of the junk, so the farmer who owned the land where the balls fell kept them instead. Two other pieces from Kosmos 482 went into a higher orbit - and are now expected to fall. 6 This diagram of a Soviet Venera spacecraft reveals what the probe may have looked like Credit: Getty
