Images of Soviet Venus lander falling to Earth suggest its parachute may be out
a day ago
- #Space Debris
- #Cosmos 482
- #Satellite Tracking
- Cosmos 482, a former Soviet Union Venus probe launched in 1972, failed to reach Venus and remains in Earth orbit.
- The spacecraft's lander module, designed to survive Venus' atmosphere, may also survive Earth reentry intact.
- Satellite tracker Marco Langbroek predicts reentry around May 10, with a margin of plus/minus 3.1 days.
- Ralf Vandebergh captured high-resolution images of the capsule, describing it as a 'compact ball'.
- The capsule is approximately 80 miles closer to Earth than a Starlink satellite bus.
- Some images show an elongated structure, speculated to be a parachute, though more analysis is needed.
- Vandebergh suggests the object might be tumbling, making the parachute intermittently visible.