Nasa's Swift satellite telescope heads for fiery re-entry 22 years after launch
An aging Nasa satellite telescope that a robotic spacecraft was sent to retrieve on a failed rescue mission this summer was headed for a fiery re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere on Wednesday, nearly 22 years after it was launched into orbit. The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory , weighing roughly 3,200 pounds (1,452 kg), was set to tumble out of orbit and burn up in the atmosphere somewhere over the…
Nearly 22 years after its launch, NASA's Swift satellite telescope is set to re-enter Earth's atmosphere and burn up in a fiery descent, according to the space agency. The aging Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, weighing around 3,200 pounds, was intended to be retrieved in a failed rescue mission this summer. The US Space Force estimates a one-in-2,100 chance of harm to anyone on Earth due to the re-entry, with the event expected to occur around 3:30am EST (0830 GMT).
Aerospace Corporation and a London-based astrophysicist project a slightly different re-entry window of 5:19am EST (0819 GMT) and 7:45am EST (1245 GMT) respectively. The satellite, which has been drifting in a circular orbit for months, was originally designed for a two-year mission studying gamma-ray bursts and other cosmic phenomena.
Its mission has been extended since 2004, utilizing its three telescopes, but it lacks onboard propulsion. Efforts to prolong Swift's life through a rescue mission were ultimately abandoned in mid-August due to technical issues with the rescue spacecraft.
Written by urgent.news from Dawn's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
