Soviet-Era Spacecraft Plunges to Earth After 53 Years Stuck in Orbit

Soviet-Era Spacecraft Plunges to Earth After 53 Years Stuck in Orbit
The planet Venus, seen from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Akatsuki probe in May 2016. J. Greaves/Cardiff University/JAXA via AP
The Associated Press
Updated:
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A Soviet-era spacecraft plunged to Earth on Saturday, more than a half-century after its failed launch to Venus.

Its uncontrolled entry was confirmed by both the Russian Space Agency and European Union Space Surveillance and Tracking. The Russians indicated it came down over the Indian Ocean, but some experts were not so sure of the precise location. The European Space Agency’s space debris office also tracked the spacecraft’s doom after it failed to appear over a German radar station.