In a fascinating turn of events, the Soviet-era spacecraft Cosmos 482 is coming home! After spending the past years of its life aimlessly wandering through outer space, it’s finally headed back to Earth. Cosmos 482 launched in 1972. It was supposed to be a probe to Venus but an anomaly during its engine burn stopped it from leaving low Earth orbit. Because of this failure, the spacecraft was unable to attain the velocity necessary to depart for Venus. This means that over the long term, it is trapped in Earth’s orbit.
Last month, Cosmos 482 broke apart into four separate pieces. Two of these fragments decayed and re-entered Earth’s atmosphere within a mere 48 hours after separation, disintegrating harmlessly. Those other pieces still are flying a lot higher. This new episode adds even more debris and raises the stakes dramatically of what could happen to space missions in the future.
Cosmos 482 was part of the Soviet Union’s ambitious planetary mission program, which included launching probes into Earth’s orbit as a platform for further exploration. The spacecraft had the same basic design as the Venera 8 atmospheric probe. Remarkably, that very probe had just made its own historic arrival at Venus only four days prior. This Soviet spacecraft, known as “Cosmos,” has been orbiting around the Earth since 1962. This name captures the bold aspirations that are driving these missions.
Cosmos 482 had been designed to survive the intense conditions of a Venusian atmospheric entry. Now, according to experts, there’s a good chance that some of those pieces won’t burn up entirely as they plummet back down to earth. Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist and frequent commentator on reentries, underscored the unusual risks posed by this reentry.
“There’s a not-trivial chance that it could hit somewhere where it damages property, and there’s a small chance − but it’s like one in thousands − that it could hurt someone.” – Jonathan McDowell
Their journey to reimagining purpose launched with an engine burn nearly four minutes long. Even though it didn’t make it where it was supposed to go, Cosmos 482 has lived on to be an important part of space history. Its eventual return to Earth serves as a reminder of both the successes and failures of early space exploration efforts.
With the last pieces of Cosmos 482 descending, scientists will be watching their path with great anticipation. Perhaps no group is as eagerly awaiting the kickoff as the space enthusiasts. The potential for major damage or harm is minimal. The recurring story behind this escape is a frequent but complex problem of space debris and proof that we need to continue tracking and managing objects orbiting our planet.
Leave a Reply