Soviet-era spacecraft plunges to Earth after hanging in orbit for 53 years

A Soviet-era spacecraft plunged to Earth on Saturday, more than a half-century after its failed launch to Venus.

- 

Its uncontrolled entry was confirmed by both the Russian Space Agency and European Union Space Surveillance and Tracking. The Russians indicated it came down over the Indian Ocean, but some experts were not so sure of the precise location. The European Space Agency's space debris office also tracked the spacecraft's doom after it failed to appear over a German radar station.