OLD VENUS PROBE TO CRASH INTO EARTH: In March 1972, Russia launched a spacecraft to Venus. The Venera probe (since renamed "Kosmos 482") never made it out of Earth orbit. A new analysis by Dr. Marco Langbroek suggests that orbital decay is bringing the old probe back to Earth. "This is a lander built to withstand atmospheric reentry [on Venus]," notes Langbroek, so it "will make for an interesting reentry sometime between 2024 and 2026."
https://spaceweather.com/
Fifty years ago, on March 31, 1972, just days after the launch of Venera 8, the Soviet Union made an attempt to launch yet another Venera probe. While it was meant to fly to Venus, something went wrong and it got stuck in Earth orbit instead. It subsequently was post-designated Kosmos 482 by the Soviets. Half a century later, one object associated to this launch is still on orbit, but it won’t be for long anymore. This object is 1972-023E, the Kosmos 482 Descent Craft, ostensibly the landing module of the Venera in its approximately one-meter protective shell.