SWIFT Space Telescope Burns Up in Earth's Atmosphere

The American SWIFT space telescope has fallen out of orbit and burned up in Earth's atmosphere over Indonesia. Weighing approximately 1.5 tonnes, the space observatory spent 22 years studying gamma-ray bursts, some of the most energetic events in the universe.

According to the United States Space Force, the telescope entered Earth's atmosphere on November 4 at 7:39 AM U.S. Eastern Time (4:39 PM Ashgabat time). The event occurred approximately 322 kilometers north of the equator, over Indonesia's North Sumatra province. At that moment, the telescope was traveling at 22 times the speed of sound.

Most of the telescope burned up in the upper layers of the atmosphere. Some of its more durable components may have survived reentry and reached Earth's surface. However, according to NASA, no damage was reported as a result of the incident.

SWIFT reentered the atmosphere three months after an unsuccessful attempt to extend its operational life. In July, NASA launched a special satellite tug called “Link” with the aim of raising the observatory's orbit. The spacecraft was supposed to approach the telescope, capture it using specialized gripping mechanisms, and move it into a higher orbit.

However, shortly after launch, the tug experienced a malfunction in its attitude control system. As a result, the spacecraft began spinning uncontrollably, and communication with it was lost. The $30 million rescue mission could not be completed successfully, and efforts to restore the spacecraft's operation failed.