The Swift Observatory is completing a decades-long mission studying gamma-ray bursts after solar storms pushed it into an unrecoverable lower orbit. While most of the 3,200-pound spacecraft will disintegrate upon atmospheric re-entry, ground teams are monitoring its descent across equatorial latitudes to track any surviving fragments. A rescue effort to boost the satellite using another spacecraft was abandoned earlier this year due to technical failures. NASA and the Space Force continue to track the final trajectory to provide updated impact predictions.
Key points
NASA estimates the probability of surviving debris causing any human harm at approximatel…: NASA estimates the probability of surviving debris causing any human harm at approximately 1 in 2,100.
A rescue mission to lift the satellite failed earlier this year after the Link spacecraft…: A rescue mission to lift the satellite failed earlier this year after the Link spacecraft experienced attitude control issues.
The observatory operated for nearly 22 years, far exceeding its original two-year mission…: The observatory operated for nearly 22 years, far exceeding its original two-year mission timeline before solar storms forced its descent.
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Almost 22 years after it was launched, NASA’s Swift Observatory is now about to fall back to Earth on Wednesday after attempts to push it back into a higher orbit failed. NASA announced that the aging space telescope is anticipated to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere at approximately 3:30AM ET (give or take 11 hours), and that it expects most of the spacecraft to burn up, but some components will likely survive re-entry.
A truck-sized NASA space telescope is about to crash to Earth
The Swift Observatory is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere on Wednesday, and is ‘unlikely’ to cause harm.
The Swift Observatory is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere on Wednesday, and is ‘unlikely’ to cause harm.
The observatory weighs around 3,200 pounds and measures in at 5.6 meters (18.4 feet) high and 5.4 meters (17.7 feet) wide, though much of the latter includes its deployable solar arrays. The risk of surviving components causing any harm is low, according to NASA:
“Re-entry locations of any surviving components can vary from hemisphere to hemisphere and depend on when it re-enters. Due to…
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