Part of Soviet-era spacecraft to crash to Earth this weekend

Soviet capsule Venera-4, said to be similar to the lander probe that will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere in the next two days. Photograph: Rave/Wikimedia

Part of a Soviet spacecraft is expected to crash back down to Earth this weekend, with experts still unsure of where it will land.

Kosmos 482 was launched in March 1972 on a Soyuz rocket a few days after the Venera 8 atmospheric probe, and was thought to have a similar purpose. Intended to reach Venus, it failed to escape low Earth orbit and instead broke into four pieces.