A 1973 Soviet survey could hit the ground this year!

Experts warned that the Soviet spacecraft en route to Venus could hit the Earth later this year.

The 500-kilogram spacecraft was launched in 1972, but its failure made Kosmos 482 hovering over the planet completely out of control.

According to previous estimates, the probe would touch the ground between 2023 and 2025. But according to new speculations, the collision could take place before the end of 2019, according to "Space.com".

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The Soviet space missions aim to launch a spacecraft on "Earth's orbit", which will serve as a launch pad in the space, equipped with an engine of rocket and a probe.

The probe is then launched towards its target, but if it fails at this stage, it will remain in orbit and be renamed Kosmos.

The Kosmos 482 probe was launched by the Soviet "Molniya" on March 31, 1972 and managed to reach the "waiting" orbit of the ground.

However, Soviet scientists failed to launch the probe on the way to Venus, which led to its separation into 4 parts, two pieces remaining on the low Earth orbit, falling on the New Zeeland in two days.

"The main engine of the exhaust phase stopped 125 seconds after launch due to the failure of the on-board timer on the probe, which resulted in the entry of the engine." Spacecraft on an orbital orbit around the Earth, "says NASA report.

Source: the sun