A spacecraft launched by the Soviet Union in 1972 is due to come crashing back into Earth's atmosphere around May 10 and nobody knows where it will land.

In 1972, the Soviet Union’s Venera 8 spacecraft became the second ever to land on Venus. It operated for 50 minutes in the planet’s harsh environment before succumbing to the intense heat. But this intrepid lander once had a sister probe named Cosmos 482. It launched four days after Venera 8 but was unable to escape low-Earth orbit and broke apart.

A piece of space junk called Cosmos 482 is unlikely to pose a threat to people or property. But space experts say it highlights the need to stay vigilant.