A Soviet Spacecraft's Long Journey Home

The Indian Ocean saw an unusual visitor recently. A spacecraft, launched from the Soviet Union back in 1972, finally returned to Earth. This probe, named Kosmos 482, was initially headed for Venus but never made it to the planet. Instead, it spent over five decades orbiting Earth before making a dramatic re-entry. The spacecraft was part of the Soviet Union's Venera program. This program was quite ambitious, sending multiple probes to Venus between 1961 and 1983. The goal of Kosmos 482 was to deliver a lander equipped with various scientific instruments to study Venus's surface and atmosphere. Unfortunately, a technical glitch in the launch vehicle's upper stage sent the probe off course. It never left Earth's orbit and instead remained in a highly elliptical orbit around Earth for over half a century. The probe was closely monitored by space agencies. They were concerned about potential dangers upon re-entry. Experts warned that due to its sturdy construction, designed to survive Venus's harsh atmosphere, the probe could reach Earth's surface largely intact. However, the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, confirmed that Kosmos 482 no longer exists after it re-entered the Earth's atmosphere and hit the ocean west of Jakarta, Indonesia. The Venera program had some successes. Several probes successfully transmitted data from Venus's surface. But Kosmos 482 was not one of them. The mission to Venus is challenging. Venus is often referred to as Earth's "evil twin. " It has extreme temperatures, crushing pressure, a poisonous atmosphere, corrosive clouds, and intense geological activity. It is one of the most inhospitable environments in our solar system. Russia has plans to continue the legacy of the Venera program. They are planning a new, long-term mission to Venus, known as Venera-D or Venera 17. This mission will mark a continuation of the Soviet-era program. It will be interesting to see what new discoveries they make about this mysterious planet.