A failed Venus mission fell from the sky over the weekend after aimlessly orbiting Earth for the past 53 years. Various agencies closely monitored Kosmos 482’s reentry, but its exact landing site remains unknown due to conflicting reports.

Launched in 1972 by the Soviet Union, the spacecraft known as Kosmos 482 was part of a series of missions bound for Venus. But this one never made it out of orbit around Earth, stranded there by a rocket malfunction.

A spacecraft launched more than 50 years ago has crashed into Earth.The defunct probe from the former Soviet Union, known as Kosmos 482, was launched in 1972 on a mission to explore Venus. A launch failure left it trapped in Earth’s