Soviet-era spacecraft Kosmos 482 crashes to Earth after 53 years in orbit, falling into the Indian Ocean.
The spacecraft was launched in 1972 to explore Venus but remained in a high elliptical orbit of Earth due to a malfunction.
Kosmos 482 broke into pieces after a failed launch, and the descent craft remained in a decaying orbit for over 50 years.
European Union Space Surveillance and Tracking Agency monitored the controlled re-entry of the spacecraft, predicting a low probability of impact on populated areas.