By Fatma Younis
NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory reentered Earth's atmosphere on Wednesday, ending a 22-year mission that far exceeded its original two-year design. The U.S. Space Force confirmed the 1.5-ton spacecraft fell near Indonesia after its orbit decayed due to intense solar activity over recent years.
Failed Recovery Attempt
Less than three months before reentry, NASA contracted Katalyst Space to execute a rapid orbit-raising mission. The company's three-armed robotic vehicle launched in July but encountered issues and crashed in September, leaving the telescope's descent uncontrolled. NASA said the extent of disintegration during reentry remained unconfirmed, though denser components were expected to survive.
Mission Legacy
Launched in 2004 to study exploding stars and gamma-ray bursts, Swift operated 11 times longer than planned. It cataloged thousands of cosmic events and served as an early alert system for deeper-probing instruments.
Hubble's Future
NASA is now seeking commercial proposals to address the Hubble Space Telescope, which faces reentry by the mid-2030s. Options include raising Hubble's orbit, modernizing its hardware, or executing a controlled deorbit, with any intervention required by 2032. Nicky Fox, NASA's science mission chief, noted the agency has more time to evaluate options for Hubble than it did for Swift. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated that Hubble still has important science ahead and the agency should explore every reasonable opportunity to extend its operations.
