A 1,000 Lb. Space Object Orbiting Earth Since 1972 Is Expected to Crash-Land in About a Week: Here's What to Know
Kosmos 482 is 3.2 feet across and could make impact at about 150 mph, per one expert
Kosmos 482 is 3.2 feet across and could make impact at about 150 mph, per one expert Getty Illustration of Earth from space (stock image):max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/USA-at-night-with-city-light-illumination-042825-98b78e8627c84cc0812db48b1d4190a5.jpg "Flying over USA at night with city light illumination.")
A 1,000 lb. former Soviet spacecraft that has been orbiting the Earth for over 50 years is about to reenter the atmosphere — and there’s a small chance it could collide with a populated area.
According to Earthsky.org, a daily resource for information about space and our planet, the former Soviet Union launched Kosmos 482 on March 31, 1972. The spacecraft was bound for Venus, but an issue with a timer cut an engine burn prematurely, which ultimately left the spacecraft stuck in Earth’s orbit.
Kosmos 482 is currently expected to reenter our planet’s atmosphere sometime between May 8 to May 11, though scientists will be able to calculate a more precise window as the approach gets closer. Getty Illustration of a spaceship orbiting a planet (stock image)
The org notes that it is “extremely difficult” to predict where the “uncontrolled” reentry will take place and whether the spacecraft will reenter over land — and therefore possibly populated areas.
They say that current calculations predict that reentry will take place “anywhere between latitude 52 degrees north and 52 degrees south” and that the probability is high that it will occur over the ocean due to the fact that most of the Earth is covered by water.
The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
However, scientists also note that if Kosmos 482 does collide with a populated area, it could be especially disastrous due to the spacecraft’s specific design. This is because while most spacecraft break up into smaller parts and debris upon reentering our atmosphere, Kosmos 482 is a probe that was designed to withstand the intense heat of Venus — meaning that much of the 1,091-pound landing module is likely to remain intact.
According to satellite expert Marco Langbroek, the impact speed of the probe, which measures about 3.2 feet across, might be around 150 miles per hour. Getty Illustration of Venus
Related: Asteroid Large Enough to Destroy an Entire City Could Still Strike the Moon in 2032, Scientists Say
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Earthsky.org notes that humans might be able to see the probe around “dusk and dawn” in some areas as it approaches Earth, “just as any moving dim satellite is visible from dark skies.”
They also note that “in the rare case that reentry occurs over your area,” you might be able to see the probe, and that it will look like a “very bright and slow meteor, probably showing some fragmentation.”
