NASA telescope is on the verge of plunging back to Earth after failed rescue mission
The telescope’s orbit has dropped too low after a failed rescue attempt, and most of its 1.5-ton frame is expected to burn up, 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…
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