Soviet Spacecraft Kosmos 482

A spacecraft lost in orbit, a mission gone awry-and a legacy that still shapes space science today.

Soviet Spacecraft Kosmos 482 tells the fascinating true story of one of the Soviet Union's most ambitious yet ill-fated missions to Venus. Launched in 1972 as part of the USSR's interplanetary program, Kosmos 482 was intended to study the surface of Venus-but due to a launch failure, it ended up trapped in Earth's orbit, where remnants of it remain to this day.

In this detailed account, author Atlas Intellectis explores:

• The mission goals and technical design of Kosmos 482

• The dramatic events of launch day and what went wrong

• The significance of the spacecraft's unintended orbit

• What modern science has uncovered from archival Soviet data

• The continuing legacy of Kosmos 482 in astrodynamics, risk management, and spacecraft design

Whether you're a space enthusiast, history buff, or engineering student, this book delivers a compelling look into Cold War-era space exploration and the lessons we continue to learn from it.