In brief
NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is slated to re‑enter Earth’s atmosphere at about 3:30 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, after nearly two decades of operation. Most of the 3,200‑pound craft will disintegrate, though a small amount of debris could survive and fall between 20.6° S and 20.6° N, posing only a minimal risk. The event follows the mission’s successful extension beyond its original two‑year life, and is the culmination of a decade of gamma‑ray burst science.
NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, launched in 2004, is expected to re‑enter Earth’s atmosphere on Wednesday at about 3:30 a.m. Eastern Time, according to a NASA statement and coverage by Xinhua. The roughly 3,200‑pound spacecraft will most likely burn up during its descent, although some components may survive and fall within the latitude band between 20.6 degrees south and 20.6 degrees north, Xinhua added. NASA estimates the risk of harm to people on Earth at roughly one in 2,100.
After its original two‑year prime mission, Swift continued to operate for more than 22 years, providing extensive data on gamma‑ray bursts, supernovae and other high‑energy phenomena – a record detailed on NASA’s own blog.
NASA had earlier sought to extend Swift’s operational life through a commercial servicing mission, but the effort was scaled back after technical problems and low fuel levels left the service spacecraft unable to fully service Swift. The observatory’s science operations ended on Oct. 23 when its orbit began to decay.
Only one outlet – CBS News – reported that Swift resumed observations once the rescue attempt was called off, noting the telescope’s final tally of more than 2,000 gamma‑ray bursts and 1,400 exploding stars.
