NASA’s Swift observatory faces uncontrolled re-entry after unsuccessful orbital rescue
Original report:
The Swift space observatory is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere on 4 November after a failed effort to raise its orbit. NASA says most of the spacecraft will burn up, although some components are expected to reach the surface.
NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is expected to make an uncontrolled atmospheric re-entry on 4 November, ending a mission launched in 2004. The US Space Force estimates re-entry at about 3.30am ET. The 3,200lb satellite can no longer steer or conduct observations. NASA expects most of it to burn up, but says some components will survive.
An attempt last year to lift Swift into a higher orbit failed when a private contractor’s mission could not rendezvous with it, the Guardian reports. Operations were ordered to end last month. NASA says potential debris locations fall between latitudes 20.6 degrees north and south, with the landing area dependent on re-entry timing.
Designed for just two years of operation, Swift carried three telescopes and detected and tracked more than 2,000 gamma-ray bursts during its working life. Its scientific reach extended beyond those powerful cosmic explosions: NASA credits the observatory with studying active galaxies, stellar flares, supernovae, comets and asteroids.
Source
the Guardian — 3 November 2026
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