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Russian top brass declares Soviet satellite fell in Antarctica

The Meteor-1 was launched into space from Plesetsk cosmodrome on March 26, 1969
Screenshot Russia-24
Screenshot Russia-24

MOSCOW, March 27 (Itar-Tass) —Fragments of the first Soviet meteorological satellite - Meteor-1, which had been in space for exactly 43 years, have fallen onto the Earth in Antarctica on Tuesday.

According to the data of the Russian Center for space reconnaissance, the Meteor-1 fragments entered the dense layers of the atmosphere over the Antarctic continent at 02. 17 a.m. Moscow time Tuesday, official spokesman for Air Space Defense Troops (VVKO) Colonel Alexei Zolotukhin told Itar-Tass on Tuesday.

The Meteor-1 was launched into space from Plesetsk cosmodrome on March 26, 1969; it had worked on the Polar orbit for over one year.

Earlier, Itar-Tass had reported from New York that according to the U.S. military source the satellite entered the dense layers of the atmosphere at around 1.22 am Moscow time above the western areas of Mongolia.