NASA’s Swift space telescope reentered Earth’s atmosphere at 7:39 a.m. EST on Nov. 4, ending a mission that lasted 22 years. Satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell reported the reentry over northern Sumatra, citing U.S. Space Force data.
Most of the 3,200-pound observatory was expected to burn up in the atmosphere. Before its return, NASA estimated the chance that surviving debris would injure someone on Earth at 1 in 2,100.
Launched in November 2004, Swift was designed to study gamma-ray bursts, powerful explosions in the universe. Its rapid-response instruments could locate a burst, alert other observatories and turn to observe its afterglow, typically within about a minute, according to the mission’s principal investigator, S. Bradley Cenko.
The observatory also studied supernovas, black holes, asteroids and comets. It observed more than 2,000 gamma-ray bursts and 1,400 supernovas, and carried out its final science observation on Oct. 20. In 2018, it was renamed the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, after its first principal investigator.
Swift was built for a two-year primary mission but operated for more than two decades. Its return to Earth came after an effort to extend its life in orbit failed. In September 2025, NASA awarded Arizona-based Katalyst Space a $30 million contract to develop and operate a spacecraft that would meet Swift and move it to a higher orbit.
Katalyst launched its LINK servicing spacecraft on July 3, aiming to capture Swift in August. Problems with LINK’s propulsion system and reaction wheels prevented the planned rendezvous. LINK itself reentered Earth’s atmosphere on Sept. 25.
Sources: Space.com.