NASA Telescope Is on the Verge of Plunging Back to Earth After Failed Rescue Mission – WTOP News
Most of the 1.5-ton telescope is expected to burn up, though some tungsten and mirror pieces could survive reentry, NASA said.
- On or around Friday, October 30, 2026, the NASA Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory was predicted to re-enter Earth's atmosphere, with the Space Force tracking the 1 1/2-ton telescope's descent.
- Intense solar activity over the past few years heated and expanded Earth's upper atmosphere, dragging Swift down faster than anticipated and forcing its systems to shut down by late October.
- Arizona-Based Katalyst Space Technologies attempted a rescue using a robotic spacecraft named LINK, but the mission failed after control issues prevented capture; Swift's final tally: more than 2,000 gamma-ray bursts and 1,400 exploding stars.
- While most of the telescope will burn up, NASA chief scientist Brad Cenko noted that dense tungsten components could survive reentry; wreckage will likely plunge into the ocean, though Africa, Australia, and India remain in the zone.
- Researchers will continue mining the mission's archive of more than 1.5 million images, which has already contributed to approximately 7,000 scientific papers, as NASA explores new rapid-response capabilities for cosmic events.
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The Independent
The Independent (US)NASA spacecraft is on the verge of plunging back to Earth after failed rescue mission
A handful of pieces could survive reentry, according to NASA's Brad Cenko
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NASA’s Swift Space Telescope Nears Fiery Reentry After $30 Million Rescue Mission Fails
NASA’s 22-year-old Swift Observatory is expected to fall back to Earth after a robotic spacecraft failed to raise its declining orbit, ending a mission that ... The post NASA’s Swift Space Telescope Nears Fiery Reentry After $30 Million Rescue Mission Fails first appeared on [your]NEWS.
NASA telescope on brink of Earth re-entry after failed rescue mission
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida: An aging NASA telescope is barely clinging to space after a failed rescue effort left it tottering lower and lower.The U.S. Space Force predicts the Swift Observatory will come crashing down on or around Friday.Most of the 1 ½-ton telescope is expected to burn up in the atmosphere. But a handful of pieces made of denser-than-lead tungsten and some mirror parts could survive reentry, according to NASA's Brad Cenko, the mi…
After 22 years in orbit, the Swift Observatory will largely disintegrate as it enters the atmosphere, although some fragments may reach the Earth's surface.
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