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(MOSCOW) — A failed Soviet-era spacecraft that became trapped in Earth’s orbit by mistake more than 50 years ago is expected to crash back down onto the planet in a matter of days, according to space experts.

Cosmos 482 was launched in 1972 as part of the Soviet Union’s Venera program, which intended to explore Venus, according to NASA.

The unmanned spacecraft experienced a successful initial launch on March 31, 1972, and temporarily orbited Earth.

However, it did not achieve sufficient velocity to launch into a Venus transfer trajectory, NASA said, and the payload — or the portion of the craft significantly related to the craft’s primary mission — was unable to exit Earth’s orbit.

Astronomers hypothesize that a malfunction on a timer caused the engine to burn prematurely, NASA said.

The spacecraft then broke into four pieces. Two of the pieces, which remained in low orbit, decayed within 48 hours. Orbital decay refers to an incremental decrease in altitude, gradually closing a craft’s distance to Earth, according to NASA.

The other two pieces — including the large lander probe — became stuck in Earth’s higher orbit. It has experienced orbital decay for decades, NASA said, and that decay has brought it close enough to reenter the planet’s atmosphere around May 10.

Because the probe was designed to withstand entry into Venus’ atmosphere — which is 90 times denser than Earth’s — it is possible that parts of it could survive reentry and continue onward to the planet’s surface, according to NASA.

The risk of Cosmos 482 striking people on the ground is low — but not impossible, Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, wrote on his website last month.

“No need for major concern, but you wouldn’t want it bashing you on the head,” McDowell wrote.

The lander probe is expected to reenter Earth’s atmosphere between Friday and Sunday, NASA said. The craft is about 3.2 feet across and weighs about 1,100 pounds.

As of Tuesday, the landing location was estimated to be anywhere between 52 N and 52 S latitude. This large swath contains the United States, as well as most of the continents on Earth.

The time and location of a return to Earth will likely be predicted more accurately as reentry nears, according to NASA.

Astronomers are increasingly monitoring space junk left near Earth during launches of satellites and other spacecraft. There are currently more than 1.2 million known pieces of space debris, 50,000 of which measure more than 4 inches across, according to a 2025 report by the European Space Agency.

“Even if we created no new space debris, it would not be enough to prevent a runaway series of collisions and fragmentations,” the ESA said in a statement.

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(VATICAN CITY) — The papal conclave, the secretive election process to elect the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church, commences on Wednesday, bringing cardinals from all over the world to select the 267th pope.

Since the death of Pope Francis on April 21, a total of 220 cardinals — the church’s highest-ranking clergy — have gathered in Rome to mourn the loss of the former pontiff and begin the secret conclave.

Overall, 133 cardinals will be voting during the conclave, the most electors ever, with 108 of them appointed by Pope Francis. All cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to participate in the election process.

The majority of the cardinals are coming from Europe, including 17 electors from Italy, five from Spain and five from France. There are 16 cardinal electors from North America, including 10 from the United States. Additionally, there are four from Central America, 17 from South America, 18 from Africa, 23 from Asia and four from Oceania. Argentina, the home country of Francis, has four cardinal electors.

All 220 cardinals are expected to attend a mass at St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday morning at approximately 10 a.m. local time. The voting cardinals will then proceed to the Pauline Chapel and then process to the Sistine Chapel at approximately 4:30 p.m. local time, where the voting will take place.

All of the cardinal electors will take an oath of secrecy before beginning to vote twice daily, two times in the morning and two times in the evening. Voting will commence when the Master of Ceremony says “extra omnes” — or “everyone out” — at approximately 5 p.m. local time. The voting will continue until two-thirds of the cardinals have agreed on a pope.

The ballots are burned after each vote and the smoke will emanate from the chimney that was built on top of the Sistine Chapel. Black smoke signifies a decision has not been reached and the voting will continue, whereas white smoke will mean a new holy leader of the church has been confirmed.

A pope could be elected as soon as the first ballot, or the process could continue for days. Since 1831, no conclave has lasted for more than four days.

Up to four rounds of voting typically take place in a day. If no clear choice has emerged after three days, balloting is suspended for 24 hours to allow cardinal electors time to reflect. Another seven rounds of balloting then takes place, followed by another break, and so on.

If no pope is elected after 33 or 34 votes — generally about 13 days — then a new rule introduced by Pope Benedict XVI decrees the two leading candidates as determined by previous ballots will engage in a runoff vote. If the candidates are members of the conclave, they cannot vote in the runoff but are present for it. Whichever candidate receives the necessary two-thirds majority of the votes is the new pope.

Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, the archbishop of Algiers, told ABC News it would be “unexpected” if the conclave goes past Friday.

Similarly, the cardinal of Baghdad, Louis Raphael Sako, reportedly told journalists at the Vatican last week that he expects a “short conclave.”

“It will be a short conclave, two, three days,” Sako said, as quoted by Italy’s ANSA news agency.

When asked if he had an idea of who he would vote for to become the new pope, Sako replied, “I have a very clear idea but I cannot say it.”

Names of cardinals who appear to be front-runners for the papacy have been swirling since the death of Francis.

Any baptized Catholic male is eligible to take Francis’ place, but experts said Pietro Parolin, the cardinal secretary of state, and Luis Tagle, the archbishop of Manila in the Philippines, are the top contenders.

An American cardinal, Robert Prevost, has also started to emerge as a front-runner, according to Father James Martin, a papal contributor for ABC.

Overall, Martin said cardinals will be looking for “someone who is holy, someone who is a good evangelizer who can proclaim the gospel and someone who is a good manager.”

“Those three things are tough to find in one person,” Martin said Monday on ABC News Live.

During the conclave, recording technology of any kind is forbidden, with technicians checking to ensure there are no secretly installed bugs or other like devices inside the Sistine Chapel or adjacent areas. The cardinals’ cellphones will be taken away at the start of the conclave and will be returned to them after the election of the new pope.

ABC News’ Christopher Watson and Phoebe Natanson contributed to this report.

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(LONDON and DELHI) — More than 26 people were killed and dozens more were injured overnight in Pakistan by Indian aerial attacks, Pakistani officials said.

The Pakistani military said the assault amounted to a “blatant act of aggression,” a characterization disputed by an Indian official, who said it was a “measured, non-escalatory, proportionate and responsible.”

The strike, which followed Tuesday’s missile assault, came amid rising tension as India continued to blame Pakistan for a deadly attack in April in the disputed Kashmir region, a claim that Pakistan denies. That militant attack, known as the Pahalgam incident, left 26 people dead in Indian-held Kashmir.

Pakistani military officials on Tuesday had vowed to respond from the “air and ground.” Officials this morning repeated that warning, saying it “reserves the right to respond, in self-defense, at a time, place, and manner of its choosing.” A statement released by the Pakistan National Security Commitee after a meeting of the committee says “the Armed Forces of Pakistan have duly been authorized to undertake corresponding actions in this regard.”

The Indian Army confirmed New Delhi’s latest strikes on Wednesday, saying in a statement that its forces were “responding appropriately in a calibrated manner.”

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said India’s strikes overnight amounted to a preemptive action, saying Pakistan did not take sufficient steps against “terrorist infrastructure on its territory or on territory under its control.”

Two military officials also described the attack, which they said involved nine locations and lasted about 25 minutes. The officials claim the targets were destroyed and that the Indian military is prepared to respond to what she characterizes as “Pakistani misadventures” that would “escalate the situation.”

Pakistan said the airstrikes hit numerous locations in Pakistan, not just in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Pakistan also claimed that India hit a hydroelectric dam in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

At least 46 people were injured in Pakistan, military spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said in a press conference on Wednesday. The country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had summoned India’s top diplomat in Pakistan.

The attack “constitutes a clear violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding, “The Indian side was warned that such reckless behavior poses a serious threat to regional peace and stability.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

ABC News’ Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.

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(PAKISTAN) — India fired several missiles into Pakistan overnight on Tuesday, according to the Pakistani army, which said it has responded from the “air and ground.”

The attacks, labeled Operation Sindoor, targeted nine sites of “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, according to the Indian Defense Ministry.

The Pakistani army said India attacked Kotli, Muzaffaabad and Bahawalpur. Three people were killed and 12 injured, the Pakistani army said.

Following the strikes, the Indian army said, “Justice is served.”

India has blamed Pakistan for a deadly attack in the disputed Kashmir region that occurred in April. The militant attack, known as the Pahalgam incident, left 26 people dead in Indian-held Kashmir.

Pakistan said in late April it had credible evidence India intended to carry out military action against Pakistan in the coming days, according to Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar.

ABC News’ Habibullah Khan contributed to this report.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(LONDON) — TThe Israeli military on Tuesday launched an attack on Yemen’s Sana’a International Airport and other civilian sites, claiming they were used by Houthi militants.

The strike came two days after a ballistic missile launched from Yemen by the Iran-backed Houthis landed near Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces said on Tuesday that the central Yemen airport “is used by the Houthi terrorist organization for the transfer of weapons and operatives, and is regularly operated by the Houthi regime for terrorist purposes.”

The airport strike led “to its complete shutdown,” the IDF said. Israel also targeted power stations and a concrete factory, which it accused the Houthis of using to build tunnels and military infrastructure.

“This is another example of the Houthi terrorist organization’s use of civilian infrastructure for terrorist operations,” an IDF spokesperson said in a statement.

Avichay Adraee, the Israel Defense Forces’ Arabic spokesperson, posted an evacuation warning on social media prior to the strike.

“We call upon you to evacuate the airport area — Sana’a International Airport — immediately and warn everyone in your vicinity of the need to evacuate this area immediately,” Adraee said. “Failure to evacuate and move away from the place exposes you to danger.”

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(LONDON) — The Israeli military on Tuesday issued an evacuation warning for Yemen’s Sana’a International Airport, saying being in the nearby area “exposes you to danger.”

Avichay Adraee, the Israel Defense Forces’ Arabic spokesperson, posted the warning on social media two days after a ballistic missile launched from Yemen by the Iran-backed Houthis struck near Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel.

“We call upon you to evacuate the airport area — Sana’a International Airport — immediately and warn everyone in your vicinity of the need to evacuate this area immediately,” Adraee said. “Failure to evacuate and move away from the place exposes you to danger.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(LONDON) — Ukrainian drones targeted Moscow for the second consecutive night on Monday, as the Russian capital prepared for Victory Day celebrations that Chinese President Xi Jinping and other Kremlin-friendly world leaders are expected to attend.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said in a statement posted to Telegram on Tuesday that at least 19 Ukrainian drones were shot down en route to the capital overnight. Another four drones were shot down near Moscow on Sunday night.

Sobyanin reported no casualties or serious damage, though said debris from drones fell on a major highway. Russian aviation authorities said flights were also suspended at four of the capital’s airports.

The drones shot down over Moscow were among the 202 craft intercepted across Russia over the previous 24 hours, Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday morning.

Ukraine has continued its drone barrages into Russia as the country prepares to mark Victory Day on May 9 — the annual celebration of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in 1945.

Celebrations will be held all over Russia, with the main event a military parade through Moscow overseen by President Vladimir Putin, top Kremlin officials and visiting world leaders — among them Xi, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Ukraine’s continued strikes have already forced Russian authorities in occupied Crimea to cancel their planned Victory Day parade, with Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev announcing the event would not go ahead due to security concerns, in a statement quoted by the state-run Tass news agency.

In Moscow, meanwhile, authorities warned residents of possible restrictions on transport and mobile internet usage, Tass reported.

Putin last month announced a unilateral cease fire stretching from May 8 to 11 to coincide with Victory Day — a proposal quickly rejected by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is pushing for a full 30-day ceasefire that he hopes will form a launch pad for a broader deal to end Russia’s 3-year-old invasion of Ukraine.

Zelenskyy this week said Putin’s offer was part of a “theatrical performance,” suggesting “it is impossible to build any plan for the next steps to end the war in two or three days.”

Zelenskyy has also warned that Kyiv could not guarantee the security of anyone traveling to attend the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow. “We cannot be held responsible for what happens on the territory of the Russian Federation,” Zelenskyy told reporters, according to a report by Ukrainian news agency Interfax.

“They provide you with security; therefore, we won’t give you any guarantees. Because we don’t know what Russia will do these days,” Zelenskyy continued, adding that Russia could also orchestrate provocations such as “arson, bombings and so on, only to blame us.”

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters Tuesday that Putin’s offer of a “festive truce” is still open, as quoted by Tass. Peskov said Moscow is yet to receive a response from Kyiv.

Russian long-range strikes into Ukraine, meanwhile, also continued overnight into Tuesday, with 11 people injured by a drone strike in Kharkiv, according to local administration head Oleg Synegubov.

Ukraine’s air force said in a post to Telegram that Russia launched 136 drones into the country overnight, of which 54 were shot down and 70 lost in flight without causing damage. Impacts were reported in the Kharkiv, Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk regions, it said.

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(LONDON) — All eyes are on Vatican City Tuesday with just over a day to go until the start of the papal conclave to elect the 267th pope.

The 12th and last general congregation is taking place Tuesday morning and is expected to last until around 1 p.m. local time.

A total of 170 cardinals from around the world have already arrived in Vatican City following the death of Pope Francis, with many of them listening to approximately 20 interventions, or speeches, focusing on themes of major pastoral and ecclesial relevance as well as some time devoted to the question of ethnicism within the church and in society on Monday evening.

Migration was also discussed, recognizing migrants as a gift for the Church, but also highlighting the urgency of accompanying them and supporting their faith in contexts of mobility and change.

The ongoing wars around the world were referred on several occasions during Monday evening’s general congregation, with tones often marked by direct testimonies from cardinals who come from the regions affected by conflicts.

The discussion subsequently returned to the subject of the path of the Synod on synodality, seen as a concrete expression of an ecclesiology of communion, in which everyone is called to participate, listen and discern together.

Meanwhile, the cardinals also reaffirmed their commitment and responsibility to support the new Pope, called to be a true pastor, a guide who knows how to go beyond the confines of the Catholic Church alone, promoting dialogue and building relationships with other religious and cultural worlds.

In total, 133 cardinals will be voting during this conclave, the most electors ever, with 108 of them being appointed by Pope Francis. Ten are from the United States.

All of the cardinals will take an oath of secrecy before beginning to vote twice daily, two times in the morning and two times in the evening and will continue voting until two-thirds of the cardinals have agreed on a pope.

Their cell phones will also be taken away at the start of the conclave at Santa Marta and will be returned to them after the election of the new pope.

The ballots are burned after each vote and the smoke will emanate from the chimney that is being built on top of the Sistine Chapel. Black smoke means a majority has not been reached and the voting will continue. White smoke means a new holy leader of the Roman Catholic Church has been confirmed.

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(VATICAN CITY) — An AI-generated image of President Donald Trump dressed as the pope is drawing criticism from some Catholics after it was posted on social media just days before the papal conclave to select the next pontiff begins in Rome.

The image, which was shared on Trump’s social media and the official White House account on Friday evening, shows an AI-generated image of the president wearing papal clothes and sitting on a throne.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, was asked by reporters about the image after he had finished a service at a church in Rome on Sunday. In his response, Dolan used the Italian words, “brutta figura,” meaning the post was embarrassing.

“I hope he didn’t have anything to do with it,” Dolan said. “It wasn’t good. As Italians say, it was brutta figura (embarrasing).”

The New York State Catholic Conference also voiced outrage at the image, saying, “there is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President.”

“We just buried our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a new successor of St. Peter. Do not mock us,” the conference said on X on Saturday.

Father James Martin, a papal contributor for ABC, said on “This Week” Sunday, “People were surprised by it and thought it was incredibly poor taste, but over here in Rome more people are concerned about the next pope than the current president.”

Vice President JD Vance, who is Catholic, denied the post was offensive. When conservative commentator Bill Kristol wrote on X, “Hey, @JDVance, you fine with this disrespect and mocking of the Holy Father?” the vice president replied, “As a general rule, I’m fine with people telling jokes and not fine with people starting stupid wars that kill thousands of my countrymen.”

When asked to respond to the criticism, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Trump “flew to Italy to pay his respects for Pope Francis and attend his funeral, and he has been a staunch champion for Catholics and religious liberty,” according to The Associated Press.

The process to elect the next pope will begin in Wednesday, May 7, according to the Vatican.

ABC News’ Camilla Alcini contributed to this report.

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(TEL AVIV) — A ballistic missile launched from Yemen by the Iran-backed Houthis struck near Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport on Sunday, briefly grounding flights, halting train service and forcing the closure of access roads covered in debris.

“Following the sirens that sounded in a number of areas in Israel, several attempts were made to intercept the missile launched from Yemen,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement. “A fall was identified in the area of Ben Gurion Airport. The incident is under review.”

The incident marks the first time the Israeli Army has claimed it failed to intercept an incoming ballistic missile since the collapse of the ceasefire in Gaza in mid-March. The Houthis have fired over two dozen missiles and drones on Israel recently, according to the IDF.

In a statement on Sunday, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “As far as the trade routes, obviously, we’re being challenged, the whole world is being challenged by the Houthis, including in the dastardly attack they did today near Ben-Gurion Airport. We will not tolerate it.”

He also emphasized Iran’s role, saying, “We will take very strong action against them. And we always remember that they act with their patron Iran’s direction and support. We will do what we need to take care of our security, to respond effectively, and to give Iran a due warning that this cannot continue.”

A spokesperson for Ben Gurion International Airport said flights were grounded for nearly an hour after the Houthi missile struck a grassy area near the main highway leading into the airport at around 9:30 am local time.

The blast damaged parts of the entrance to Terminal 3. Israeli police said officers and emergency workers are still clearing the closed highway, with bulldozers brought in to remove debris. Several airlines have cancelled their flights to Israel today, including Lufthansa and British Airways.

Trains leading to and from the airport, which were halted initially after the strike are now running again, providing the only way into the airport.

Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency services, said in a statement that eight people had been transported with injuries to two local hospitals. Most of the injuries were sustained from running for cover during the aerial siren. There were no fatalities, Israeli officials said.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces said the initial inquiry by the Israeli Air Force’s Commanding Officer found no malfunction in the detection systems, interception protocols, or Home Front Command alert mechanisms.

“According to the assessment, the likely cause was a technical issue with the interceptor launched toward the missile,” the IDF said.

The IDF emphasized that since the war began, the Israeli Air Force has intercepted dozens of missiles launched from Yemen, maintaining a success rate of over 95%.

Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened to respond to the Houthi strike, saying on X, “Whoever harms us will be harmed seven-fold.”

“Yemen will not tolerate ongoing violations against Arab nations such as Lebanon and Syria, and stands ready to confront any aggression,” the Yemeni Armed Forces said Sunday. “This nation will not fear confrontation and will refuse submission.”

Netanyahu was set to convene his top advisers and the defense officials on Sunday to weigh Israel’s response, according to an Israeli official.

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