The risk of spacecraft debris injuring someone on Earth is 1 in 4,200.
Researchers suggest a sea change in satellite design to protect the ozone layer.
Kosmos 482 performed an uncontrolled reentry on May 10, possibly crashing into the Indian Ocean.
The spacecraft’s expected area of reentry spans vast regions on both sides of the equator, where it could potentially land in a single piece.
The spacecraft suffered an engine anomaly that left it stuck in Earth's orbit for decades, and now it's slated for an uncontrolled reentry.
The recoverable spacecraft reentered off the coast of Brazil in the Atlantic Ocean instead of the Indian Ocean, and therefore could not be recovered.
A proposed mission seeks to retrieve Vanguard-1 and display it as an ancient relic of the space age.
