A non-functioning Soviet spacecraft from the 1970s is set to fall to Earth next week.

      Captured by an External High-Definition Camera (EHDC) on the ISS, this angled image captures the dawn sunlight while the orbiting station passed over the northwest Atlantic Ocean, approximately 300 miles (500 km) off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada. The Earth Observatory notes, "The foreground of the image is adorned with numerous small clouds, each cloud visibly representing a rising column of air due to water droplets."

      NASA/Earth Observatory

      Next week, Earth will experience a return from the past, as a malfunctioning Soviet spacecraft will re-enter the atmosphere in an uncontrolled manner. Launched in 1972, the Kosmos 482 mission aimed for Venus, but a launch failure prevented it from escaping Earth’s orbit. Astronomers monitoring the object have estimated that it will crash back to Earth around May 10.

      The specific time and location of the object's descent remain uncertain, as does the amount of debris expected to survive the atmospheric entry. However, experts suggest that while there is a minimal risk, the general public does not need to be alarmed.

      Uncontrolled re-entries pose challenges because they are unpredictable and can result in debris falling onto properties and potentially causing damage. Although there's a technical possibility that falling debris could harm someone, the chances of this occurring are exceedingly low. Past incidents of space debris have included occurrences in Poland, Florida, and Côte d'Ivoire, where debris has fallen on yards, houses, and into the ocean.

      China has faced criticism from the U.S. in recent years for allowing components of its Long March rockets to make uncontrolled re-entries, with NASA emphasizing that responsibly managing debris and sharing information about debris trajectories is essential for the safe use of space.

      The Soviet spacecraft, designed to reach Venus, ended up becoming an accident rather than a result of negligence. Given the probe's construction, intended to withstand Venus's high temperatures and extreme pressures, it's likely that some debris may survive its re-entry and hit the Earth's surface.

      The probe is encased within a spherical pressure vessel made of titanium, making it both heavy and extremely sturdy. Orbital expert Jonathan McDowell states, “Its heat shield implies that the half-ton, one-meter-diameter sphere could potentially survive re-entry and reach the ground.” He estimates a common risk of one-in-several-thousand of a person being hit. The vessel, while dense, is inert and contains no nuclear materials, posing little cause for concern, though getting struck by it would not be ideal.

      Marco Langbroek, a researcher in space situational awareness, also assessed the risk, noting that while not particularly high, it's not zero: "With a mass of just under 500 kg and a size of one meter, the risks resemble those of a meteorite impact," Langbroek commented.

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      Georgina has been a space writer at Digital Trends for six years, focusing on human space exploration, planetary…

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