A NASA space telescope plunged back to Earth after a mission that lasted 11 times longer than planned

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s Swift Observatory, a premier space telescope, fell back to Earth on Wednesday, concluding its 22-year mission of studying the universe’s most powerful explosions. The U.S. Space Force verified Swift’s reentry over Indonesia following tracking of its diminishing orbit, attributed to significant solar activity over recent years.

NASA had enlisted a private firm to augment the telescope’s orbit, but their three-armed robotic craft, Katalyst Space, encountered difficulties following its July launch and crashed in September. It remains unclear how much of the 1½-ton spacecraft incinerated during its atmospheric descent. Swift was initially launched in 2004 for a two-year investigation into gamma ray bursts and exploding stars, but its mission extended elevenfold, making it a first responder for other telescopes seeking deeper insights.

The space agency is now exploring potential rescue measures for another observatory, the Hubble Space Telescope, whose orbit is gradually eroded by solar storms. Hubble is projected to reenter the Earth’s atmosphere around the mid-2030s. NASA is soliciting input from private companies on strategies to either augment Hubble’s orbit, upgrade its systems, or guide it to a controlled reentry.

Any intervention must occur before 2032. NASA’s chief of science missions, Nicky Fox, emphasized that Hubble still has valuable scientific contributions to make and that every feasible option should be considered to maintain its productivity for as long as possible.