Scare in Indonesia after a spacecraft sent into space by the USSR in 1972 fell west of Jakarta

A huge scare was had in Indonesia after a Soviet Union spacecraft crashed to Earth, falling into the Indian Ocean, just a few kilometers off the coast. However, it was not a current artifact, as it was a failed launch to Venus in 1972

The European Union Space Surveillance and Tracking Agency confirmed its uncontrolled re-entry, but without knowing exactly where it would fall, although it ultimately caused no damage.

It was the spacecraft Kosmos 482, which was part of a series of missions to Venus, so it was made of a material very resistant to heat, as this planet is the hottest in the solar system, but a rocket failure prevented the mission from being completed, leaving the spacecraft in space.Part of the spacecraft fell to Earth about 10 years after it was launched, but another part remained in orbit, falling in 2025, almost half a century later.

Space pollution, a growing problem

This is a problem that many countries are starting to contemplate, as scientists and military experts were unable to determine when and where it would fall, causing great uncertainty.

As of Saturday morning, US Space Command had not yet confirmed the disappearance of the spacecraft as it was gathering and analyzing data from orbit. In the end, it fell out of control, causing a serious danger, as it was not going to do so over the Pacific Ocean, much larger than the Indian Ocean.

ESA (European Space Agency) officials noted that while the immediate threat to human life is low, the cumulative effect of impacts could pose a long-term hazard. This concern goes beyond physical impacts, as pollutants released during re-entry can damage the ozone layer and contribute to climate change.