# Part of a Soviet-era spacecraft is likely to have re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere after being stuck in orbit for more than half a century. The European Space Agency says Kosmos 482, which launched in 1972 on a mission to Venus, never made it out of Earth’s orbit and instead broke into four pieces that have been circling the planet ever since. One fragment, believed to be the lander, most likely re-entered the atmosphere over the weekend. It is unclear whether it fell to the ground or burned up in the atmosphere.
Soviet-era spacecraft likely to have re-entered Earth’s atmosphere