NASA Swift space telescope reenters atmosphere near Indonesia after failed rescue

NASA's uncrewed Swift space telescope reentered Earth's atmosphere on Wednesday, ending its mission. The U.S. Space Force confirmed that the observatory reentered the atmosphere near Indonesia after tracking its decaying orbit, according to Phys.org Space. [4]

Phys.org Space reported that intense solar activity over the past few years caused the spacecraft's orbit to sink. NASA hired a private company, Katalyst Space, to execute an orbit-boosting attempt using a three-armed robotic craft, but the long-shot rescue mission failed less than three months prior to reentry. [4]

The uncrewed observatory was launched on 20 November 2004 aboard a Delta II launch vehicle to study gamma-ray bursts, as FTMQ Space reported earlier. Phys.org Space, Scripps News, and FTMQ Space noted that the satellite spent 22 years investigating space events, while The Guardian reported it was launched in 2004. [4][6][8][12][15]

The mission was developed through a joint partnership between Goddard Space Flight Center and an international consortium from the United States, United Kingdom, and Italy. Originally named the Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Explorer, the three-instrument space observatory was later renamed the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory in honour of its principal investigator who led the mission until his death in February 2017. [12]