Experts have published images showing an unknown structure next to the 53-year-old probe “Kosmos 482.” It could be a deployed parachute.
The probe “Kosmos 482,” measuring one meter in length and weighing 495 kg, was launched in 1972. It was built to study Venus as part of the Soviet Union’s “Venera” program. It was meant to investigate Venus’s environment. However, due to an accident it broke into pieces. One of those pieces has been orbiting ever since.
After news broke about the probe’s return to Earth around May 10, satellite monitoring specialists analyzed images of the spacecraft and discovered an unknown object trailing it.
“A structure is attached to the capsule. It could be a parachute, but that’s just a guess for now!” wrote Ralph Vandeberg, a Dutch astronomer and astrophotographer, on his social media page.
What else did scientists report?
“Kosmos 482” was built as a sister probe to the research devices “Venera 7” and “Venera 8,” both of which visited Venus, Live Science reported. Venera 7 was the first probe to successfully land on Venus, while Venera 8 transmitted data for over 50 minutes before burning up in Venus’s extremely hot atmosphere.
The descending apparatus may return to Earth intact. Vandeberg received the first set of high-resolution images in July 2024 and published them online on April 29, 2025. Compared to images taken in June 2014, the newer photos show a mysterious elongated structure next to the probe.
Even if this structure is a parachute, it is unlikely to survive the probe’s entry into the dense layers of Earth’s atmosphere at roughly 242 km/h.
Vandeberg says the parachute will likely burn up upon reentry and “will not serve the function of slowing down” the device.
Currently, observers are tracking the probe and closely watching Kosmos 482’s descent. Since it was designed to withstand Venus’s extreme conditions, scientists believe the device is quite likely to reach Earth’s surface. Researchers have proposed that it could land between 52 degrees north latitude and 52 degrees south latitude, but there are no precise predictions.
