Moscow [Russia], May 11: A Soviet-era space probe launched in 1972 has re-entered Earth's atmosphere and crashed into the Indian Ocean, Russian authorities confirmed on Saturday.
The Russian space agency Roscosmos said the spacecraft, known as Kosmos 482, entered the atmosphere at 0624 GMT before hitting the waters west of Jakarta, Indonesia.
No information was provided on potential damage or debris.
The European Space Agency also concluded that re-entry had likely occurred. Between 1961 and 1983, the Soviet Union sent several probes to Venus as part of the Verena programme to explore the planet. While several succeeded in landing on the planet's surface and transmitting data back to Earth, Kosmos 482 went astray shortly after lift-off.
Kosmos 482 was launched on March 31, 1972, and was scheduled to make a controlled landing on Venus. However, due to a failure of the launch vehicle, the capsule failed to escape the Earth's gravity and has been orbiting the planet for 53 years. (DPA)
Source: Qatar Tribune
