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Space Force sees NASA Swift reentry around Friday after failed boost
The Associated Press, citing U.S. Space Force tracking, said NASA's Swift Observatory is expected to reenter around Friday; NASA on Oct. 23 had said reentry was still weeks away.
- The Associated Press is now reporting this
- New headline Was: “NASA ends Swift observatory mission as spacecraft falls toward Earth”
- Our desk updated its story
- Space.com is now reporting this
- New headline Was: “NASA ends Swift observatory science mission as orbit decays”
1 earlier update
- Our desk updated its story
The U.S. Space Force is tracking NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory toward an uncontrolled reentry on or around Friday, The Associated Press reported Saturday, citing Space Force predictions2.
NASA said on Oct. 23 that Swift had ended science operations after falling below 171 miles (275 kilometers), where drag kept its telescopes from holding a steady gaze, and that reentry was expected in the following weeks1. The spacecraft's last observation was Oct. 20, NASA said1.
AP, citing NASA mission chief scientist Brad Cenko, reported that most of the roughly 1.5-ton observatory is expected to burn up, while some denser tungsten pieces and mirror parts could survive and would most likely fall in the ocean, with land under the possible path including parts of Africa, Australia, India, Southeast Asia, and Central and South America2.
Swift launched Nov. 20, 2004, to hunt gamma-ray bursts and other brief high-energy events1,2. NASA said solar-driven atmospheric expansion had lowered the orbit faster than planned1. AP reported NASA hired Katalyst Space Technologies a year ago; a robot named Link launched in July to grapple and boost Swift, got no closer than about 7 to 9 miles (12 to 15 kilometers), and reentered in September after hardware trouble2.
NASA said Swift logged more than 2,000 gamma-ray bursts and more than 1,400 supernovas over a mission designed for two years1. AP said systems were shut down by late October because the spacecraft was too low to stay stable for observations2. An exact impact point remains unknown while Space Force tracking continues2.
