NASA’s 22-year-old Swift telescope burns up over Indonesia

NASA’s long-serving Swift space telescope has ended its 22-year mission after falling out of orbit and burning up in Earth’s atmosphere over Indonesia.

The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory re-entered the atmosphere on Wednesday, November 4, marking the end of a mission that significantly advanced scientists’ understanding of some of the universe’s most powerful cosmic events.

According to NASA, the US Space Force confirmed that the satellite re-entered Earth’s atmosphere at 7:39am EST (12:39 GMT) over Indonesia’s North Sumatra province, approximately 322 kilometres north of the equator. The spacecraft was travelling at around 22 times the speed of sound when it entered the upper atmosphere.

Weighing approximately 1,452 kilograms, the observatory was expected to burn up largely due to intense frictional heat during its descent. However, some small fragments may have survived the re-entry and reached the ground. NASA reported no damage or injuries resulting from falling debris.

The US Space Force had previously assessed the risk to people on Earth as extremely low, estimating the probability of anyone being harmed at approximately one in 2,100.

The satellite’s final descent came less than three months after an unsuccessful attempt to extend its operational life through a specially designed rescue spacecraft.

NASA had partnered with Arizona-based space startup Katalyst to launch a spacecraft named LINK in July. The mission aimed to approach Swift, attach itself to the observatory and move it into a higher orbit to prevent its premature return to Earth.

However, LINK began spinning uncontrollably shortly after reaching space. Mission managers eventually abandoned the rescue attempt in mid-August, leaving Swift to continue its descent towards Earth.

Launched in 2004, the $500 million observatory was primarily designed to detect and study gamma-ray bursts, which are among the most powerful explosions in the universe. It carried three telescopes capable of observing cosmic events across multiple wavelengths.

During its operational life, Swift also investigated hundreds of supernova explosions, black holes tearing apart stars, powerful X-ray flares and various objects within the solar system, including asteroids and comets.

Its scientific contributions were substantial, supporting approximately 7,000 published research papers and providing astronomers with valuable information about the behaviour and evolution of the universe.

Although the observatory was originally designed for a two-year mission, it continued operating for more than two decades. Its scientific operations officially ended on October 20 after months of orbital instability.

The satellite did not have its own propulsion system, making it increasingly difficult to maintain a stable orbit as it gradually descended towards Earth.

Swift’s fiery re-entry brings an end to one of NASA’s most productive space observatories, which spent more than two decades helping scientists investigate some of the universe’s most extraordinary phenomena.