Kosmos 482 rocketed into space in 1972 on a quest to reach Venus, but its journey was scuttled by an apparent engine malfunction.

The Kosmos 482 spacecraft, a Soviet mission launched in 1972 for an unsuccessful trip to Venus, reentered Earth’s atmosphere on Saturday morning, according to a recent report. According to the European Space Agency,

An out-of-control Russian spacecraft has probably plummeted to Earth, after 53 years stuck in orbit, experts say. In recent weeks, the spacecraft known as Kosmos 482 has been making an uncontrolled approach towards Earth. Experts have been tracking it since – though they noted that it was very unlikely that it would land over a populated era.