NASA's Swift Observatory, a key instrument for studying cosmic explosions, reentered Earth's atmosphere on Wednesday, concluding a 22-year mission that far exceeded its original two-year lifespan.
The U.S. Space Force confirmed the reentry occurred near Indonesia. The observatory's orbit had been declining due to intense solar activity over the past few years, leading to its eventual plunge.
A recent rescue mission, launched less than three months prior, failed to save the 1 ½-ton spacecraft. Katalyst Space's robotic craft, designed to boost Swift's orbit, encountered issues after its July launch and subsequently crashed in September.
Swift was launched in 2004 to investigate gamma ray bursts and exploding stars. Throughout its extended mission, it observed thousands of such events and served as an early warning system for other telescopes.
NASA is now evaluating options for the Hubble Space Telescope, which, launched in 1990, is also facing orbital decay due to solar storms and is projected to reenter Earth's atmosphere by the mid-2030s. The space agency is seeking proposals from private companies for potential missions to boost Hubble's orbit, upgrade its systems, or guide a controlled reentry, with any such intervention needing to occur by 2032. Unlike the Swift rescue attempt, NASA has more time to explore these possibilities for Hubble, which continues to deliver significant scientific findings.