Major city with 9,000,000 people named as possible target for Soviet satellite crashing into Earth this week
A major city with a huge population of nine million people has been named as a possible target for the Soviet satellite crashing into Earth this week.
The lost satellite was first sent into space over 50 years ago as part of the Kosmos 482 probe.
It was launched by the USSR in 1972 in order to collect information on Venus.
However, the probe suffered an engine malfunction while still in Earth’s orbit and it broke into four separate pieces.
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While the other pieces burned up over New Zealand, the final missing object, which was the probe’s landing module, is making its way back to Earth, according to experts.
Weighing 1,100lb, the satellite could cause some damage as it makes its way towards Earth at a speed of 17,000mph this week.
And there is one particular city that some experts believe it could be making a beeline for.
The UK was noted as being in the firing line for the space debris and now it seems like it could well land in London.
As the capital of the UK, London has a huge population of nearly nine million people, and it could be the destination of the long-lost satellite.
The probe is due to make its return to Earth sometime this week, with experts predicting that it could re-enter the planet’s atmosphere within 14 hours either side of 8.34 BST on May 10.
Because this satellite was designed to safely land on Venus, it is unlikely to burn up as it re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere and instead will likely land in one piece.
This could prove to be deadly if the debris collides with people on its return.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Dr Marco Langbroek who is a satellite tracker and astronomer at the Delft University of Technology, believes that the Soviet satellite will arrive back on Earth somewhere between latitude 52 degrees north and 52 degrees south.
Langbroek added: “The risks involved are not particularly high, but not zero.”
In a blog post, Dr Jonathan McDowell, who is an astronomer who tracks satellite re-entries, wrote: “The vehicle is dense but inert and has no nuclear materials.
“No need for major concern, but you wouldn't want it bashing you on the head.”
He continued: “In which case I expect it’ll have the usual one-in-several-thousand chance of hitting someone.”
Also speaking to the Daily Mail, McDowell went on to say: “If this were to cause damage – or worse, to hurt someone – that would be something that the Russian government would be liable for.”
If you’re wondering where the satellite is right now, you can track it for yourself here.