News Space A Soviet spacecraft will crash to Earth this month The craft was bound for Venus, but has been stuck in Earth orbit for more than 50 years A commemorative postage stamp printed in Russia shows the Venera 8 spacecraft, including an illustration in the background of the descent probe parachuting to the planet’s surface. A twin probe that has been stuck in Earth’s orbit for more than 50 years is due to fall to Earth in mid-May. Alexander Mitrofanov / Alamy Stock Photo By Lisa Grossman 2 hours ago A Soviet space probe stuck in orbit since a failed 1972 launch is expected to crash to Earth this month. The spacecraft, dubbed Kosmos 482, is predicted to reenter Earth’s atmosphere on May 12, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Space Force. A different calculation by satellite analyst Marco Langbroek at Delft Technical University in the Netherlands predicts reentry on May 10. The exact landing site won’t be known until shortly before impact. But it’s unlikely the probe will hurt anyone or even land in a populated area, says astronomer Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass. “It is alarming, but not end-of-the-world alarming.” Sign up for our newsletter We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.