NASA space telescope plunges to Earth after two decades studying cosmic explosions
The 22-year-old telescope mostly burned up after a failed private rescue mission, and NASA said some debris may have survived reentry.
- On Wednesday, the 3,200-pound Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory reentered Earth's atmosphere over northern Sumatra, ending its 22-year investigation of cosmic explosions.
- NASA awarded Katalyst Space a $30 million contract to extend the telescope's life, but their LINK robotic spacecraft suffered propulsion failures following its July launch.
- Designed for a two-year mission, the observatory remained productive for 22 years, observing more than 2,000 gamma-ray bursts, said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, director of NASA's Astrophysics Division.
- Science mission chief Nicky Fox stated NASA is gauging industry interest for a similar rescue mission for the Hubble Space Telescope, exploring upgrade options.
- At least three large objects, including dead satellites or spent rocket bodies, fall back to Earth every day on average, a trend expected to rise as megaconstellations grow.
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167 Articles
The American Space Observatory Swift finally ceased to exist, entering the Earth's atmosphere and burning over Indonesian territory.
After more than two decades in space, the Nasa Swift Telescope crashed. A last rescue mission failed shortly before.
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The former Swift Observatory has completed its journey of more than two decades through space by losing control of its course and colliding uncontrollably against the Earth. According to the first reports of the United States Space Forces, the apparatus would have re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere during the past morning. Much of its structure, of almost 1,500 kilograms, would have disintegrated into the air. And the remains that survived this p…
THE FIREY end of the Neil Gehrels Swift observatory, weighing approximately 1,452kg, came less than three months after the failure of a rescue mission to lift the satellite into a higher orbit and extend its life.
NASA's Swift Space Telescope fell uncontrollable on Earth on Wednesday, November 4, 22 years after launch, but only three months after a private spaceship should have placed it in orbit...
NASA's Swift space telescope has returned to Earth after 22 years. It burned up in the atmosphere over Sumatra after a failed rescue mission. It had made a significant contribution to the study of gamma-ray bursts.
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