The Soviet automatic station "Kosmos-482" (Venera-8), which has been in Earth's orbit since 1972, is expected to enter the atmosphere on the morning of May 10. According to the European Space Surveillance System, this will occur approximately at 09:07 Moscow time, with an error of about 4.5 hours.
According to monitoring services, the spacecraft is descending. It is expected to fall in the Turkmenistan area at 10:00 Moscow time.
The spacecraft weighs 480 kg and has a diameter of about one meter. If part of the station survives, it will reach the Earth's surface at a speed of about 240 km/h.
Roscosmos notes that the probability of damage from the station's fall is extremely low. The diameter of the spacecraft is about one meter, and its mass is less than 500 kg, which is significantly less than the mass of the Soyuz return module. The trajectory is being tracked by both Russian and foreign services.
"Kosmos-482" was launched to Venus in 1972, but due to a failure in the booster stage, it did not leave Earth's orbit. Over the decades, the spacecraft has gradually descended due to atmospheric resistance.
Earlier, www1.ru reported that the area of possible entry of the spacecraft into the atmosphere covers territories between the 52nd parallels of northern and southern latitude.
Read more on the topic:
From the Heavens to Earth: Soviet Probe "Kosmos-482" Returns Home After 53 Years of Wandering
Hello from the Soviet Past: Spacecraft "Kosmos-482" Returns to Earth
"Dark Comet" 2005 VL₁: Asteroid or Lost Soviet Space Station "Venera-2"?
