Kosmos-482, a failed Soviet Venus probe, re-entered Earth’s atmosphere in May, but tracking its exact descent proved elusive.

Kosmos 482. News New Update: Spacecraft Crashes Into Earth After Over 5 Decades In Orbit A spacecraft launched more than 50 years ago has crashed into Earth. The defunct probe from the former Soviet ...

Thousands of satellites with incredibly short lifetimes are being sent up into low Earth orbit. When they fall back down they're fireballs of pollution — and what doesn't burn up hits the ground.