A Soviet probe built in 1972 to land on Venus returned to Earth on 10 May 2025, and the same titanium shell meant to survive the hottest planet may have carried it intact through re-entry

A Soviet probe built in 1972 to land on Venus returned to Earth on 10 May 2025, and the same titanium shell meant to survive the hottest planet may have carried it intact through re-entry

A Soviet capsule designed to descend through the atmosphere of Venus finally re-entered an atmosphere on 10 May 2025. It was Earth’s, 53 years after a rocket failure stranded the craft in an elongated orbit around its home planet. The object was the descent capsule from Kosmos 482, a 1972 mission intended to place a lander on Venus. Radar confirmed that it disappeared from orbit that morning. No observer reported the final descent, no impact sit…