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.

The probe is projected to crash between between 52° North and 52° South - a big span of the Earth that just includes a snippet of West Cork. Because more than 70% of the planet's surface is covered in water, experts add that it will more than likely land in the ocean.