A space probe called Kosmos 482 sent to explore Venus by the U.S.S.R. in 1972 but marooned in Earth orbit ever since is about to renter and crash-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.

Part of a spacecraft that has been stuck in orbit for 53 years is due to reenter Earth’s atmosphere around May 10 and could arrive intact.