A Soviet-era spacecraft meant to land on Venus a half century ago is expected to plunge uncontrolled back to Earth within days.

Launched in 1972 by the Soviet Union, the spacecraft known as Kosmos 482 was part of a series of missions bound for Venus. But this one never made it out of orbit around Earth, stranded there by a rocket malfunction.

A Soviet-era spacecraft called Kosmos 482 has crashed on Earth after 53 years "stuck in orbit," according to The Associated Press. According to the AP, both the Russian Space Agency and the European Union Space Surveillance and Tracking Agency confirmed the spacecraft had crashed on Earth.