50-year-old spaceship set to crash into Earth at 17,000mph in weeks could directly hit UK
Just as people in the UK are starting to enjoy warmer weather and planning sunny days in the park or in beer gardens, there’s some unexpected news that could bring those good vibes down a notch. A spaceship from the 1970s yes, really is expected to crash back down to Earth soon. And there’s a chance it could land somewhere in the UK.
The spacecraft is called Kosmos 482. It was part of a Soviet mission launched in 1972. The plan was to send it to Venus, but things didn’t go as planned. The rocket failed to fully break away from Earth’s gravity, so instead of heading to another planet, it got stuck orbiting the Earth. And that’s where it’s been for more than 50 years just silently circling the planet.
Now, scientists say it’s finally about to fall out of orbit and come crashing down to Earth. It’s moving at an incredible speed of 17,000 miles per hour. That’s fast enough to cause some serious damage if it hits the ground, especially in a populated area. There are parachutes attached to it, but no one expects them to still work after five decades in space. If it does hit land, it could have an impact similar to a small meteorite strike not enough to wipe out a city, but still dangerous.
Experts say the most likely scenario is that it will fall into the ocean. After all, the Earth is mostly covered in water. But there is still a small chance it could hit land, and parts of southern England are in the potential impact zone. It’s a huge area that covers most of the world, so the odds of any one place getting hit are still quite low, but not zero. The only place that’s definitely safe is Antarctica, and that’s only because no one really lives there except a few scientists — and a lot of penguins.
Marco Langbroek, a space expert from the Netherlands who tracks satellites, believes the spaceship will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere on May 10. According to him, because it’s not that big — about one meter across and just under 500 kilograms — the risk it poses is about the same as a small space rock falling from the sky. Still, it’s enough to make people a little nervous.
Some people are even joking about it. There was a comment made about how if Vladimir Putin had anything to do with it, it might look like a very long-delayed plan to damage the UK. But of course, that’s not the case he was just 19 years old when this thing was launched, and this spacecraft is just a relic of the Cold War space race between the Soviet Union and the United States.
Even though the situation might sound scary, it’s not the first time something like this has happened. Space junk and old satellites fall back to Earth fairly often. Most of the time, they burn up in the atmosphere or land in the ocean without anyone even noticing. But the size and speed of this one make it worth paying attention to, just in case.
For now, scientists around the world are watching it closely. And while there’s no need to panic, it’s probably best to stay tuned — just in case we get a surprise visit from a piece of the past hurtling out of the sky.
