Kosmos 482, the Venus Probe That Never Left
A Soviet spacecraft built to land on Venus got stuck circling the Earth in 1972. For 53 years, nobody knew where it would finally come down.
What was reported
In March 1972, the Soviet Union launched two probes to Venus. One, Venera 8, reached the planet and landed. The other's rocket failed to fire properly, leaving it stranded in orbit around the Earth. The Soviets gave it a vague name, Kosmos 482, and said little about it.
Its lander was built to survive the crushing heat and pressure of Venus, so it was expected to come through re-entry largely in one piece. For decades, amateur trackers followed it as its orbit slowly sank, and in 2025 the world watched to see where half a tonne of Soviet hardware would fall.
Explanations offered
It came down on 10 May 2025, most likely in the Indian Ocean west of Jakarta, and no debris was found. Parts of the rocket that launched it had fallen back much earlier, in 1972, landing in New Zealand.
- When
- Launched 1972, fell 10 May 2025
- Where
- In orbit; fell into the Indian Ocean west of Jakarta
- Witnesses
- Satellite trackers around the world
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.