NASA's Swift telescope has burned up, months after a robot sent to save it failed

NASA's Swift space telescope concluded its mission in a fiery re-entry, two decades after its launch, following a failed rescue attempt. The unmanned Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory descended from the heavens over North Sumatra, Indonesia, at 7:39 am EST on Wednesday, according to the US space agency. The majority of the spacecraft is anticipated to have vaporized upon entering the atmosphere, although some remnants could have survived re-entry.

The Swift observatory, equipped with three telescopes, was initially launched into orbit in 2004 and was tasked with studying gamma ray bursts, the most powerful energy blasts in the universe. Despite being designed for a two-year mission, it persevered for a decade and a half beyond its planned duration. Costing $500 million (€444 million), the 1,452-kilogram (3,200-pound) satellite contributed to numerous scientific discoveries, including hundreds of supernova explosions, black holes, stellar flares, asteroids, and comets, as well as contributing to nearly 7,000 scientific papers.

The satellite's mission ended due to the influence of powerful geomagnetic storms triggered by solar eruptions. In July, NASA enlisted the help of private company Katalyst Space, which launched a mission to boost the Swift observatory's altitude. However, the three-armed robotic servicing spacecraft, named LINK, encountered attitude control problems shortly after reaching space, causing it to spin uncontrollably and ultimately leading to its own demise in September.

The Swift observatory had ceased operations on October 20, with no immediate reports of ground damage as it descended back to Earth.