Swift Observatory: NASA telescope reenters Earth atmosphere
The 22-year-old spacecraft, which studied gamma-ray bursts, fell near Indonesia after a failed private rescue attempt.
By Ethan Cooper ·
NASA’s Swift Observatory reentered Earth’s atmosphere on Wednesday, ending a 22-year mission to study cosmic explosions. The spacecraft fell near Indonesia, according to the U.S. Space Force. This marked the end of one of the agency’s premier tools for observing gamma-ray bursts and exploding stars.
The telescope had been in orbit since 2004. Its original design life was two years. Instead, it operated for 11 times longer than planned. Over those decades, Swift observed thousands of transient events. It often acted as a first responder, alerting other telescopes to look deeper at specific locations in the sky.
Swift’s orbit decayed due to intense solar activity in recent years. NASA hired Katalyst Space to launch an orbit-boosting mission in July. The company sent a robotic craft with three arms to attach to the telescope. The vehicle malfunctioned after launch and fell to Earth in September. Swift’s demise came less than three months after that failed rescue.
It is unclear how much of the 1.5-ton spacecraft burned up during reentry. NASA expects some dense components to survive the passage through the atmosphere. The agency is now assessing the industry’s interest in a similar rescue mission for another aging observatory.
That target is the Hubble Space Telescope. Launched in 1990, Hubble is also losing altitude due to solar storms. Recent analyses suggest it may deorbit by the mid-2030s. NASA is seeking input from private companies on how to boost Hubble’s orbit, upgrade its systems, or guide a controlled reentry.
Any intervention for Hubble must occur by 2032. Nicky Fox, NASA’s science mission chief, noted the agency has more time to explore options than it did for Swift. The situation allows for a less rushed approach to planning a potential rescue.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated that Hubble still has important science to perform. He said in a statement that the agency should look at every reasonable opportunity to keep the telescope operating for as long as possible.
