Swift Observatory falls from orbit after 22-year mission ends

The Swift Observatory descended through Earth's atmosphere on Wednesday, marking the end of a 22-year mission to study the universe's most violent explosions. The spacecraft, which weighs 1.5 tons, reentered the atmosphere near Indonesia after its orbit decayed due to increased solar activity in recent years. The U.S. Space Force tracked the falling craft and confirmed its reentry.

Swift launched in 2004 with an initial goal of studying gamma-ray bursts and exploding stars for two years. Instead, it remained operational for 22 years, observing thousands of cosmic events. During that time, the telescope served as an early warning system, alerting other observatories to point their instruments at newly discovered phenomena.

NASA attempted to extend Swift's life in July by hiring Katalyst Space to build an orbit-boosting vehicle. The company constructed a three-armed robotic craft intended to push the telescope back into a stable trajectory. However, the rescue vehicle encountered problems after launch and crashed in September, less than three months before Swift itself fell.

NASA expects that some of the denser components of Swift will survive the reentry process, though it is not yet clear how much of the spacecraft burned up. The agency is now turning its attention to the Hubble Space Telescope, which also faces a declining orbit due to solar storms. Hubble launched in 1990 and is currently expected to reenter Earth's atmosphere by the mid-2030s.

Space officials are seeking input from private companies on potential strategies for Hubble. These options include boosting the telescope's orbit, upgrading its systems, or guiding it to a controlled reentry. Any rescue or management mission for Hubble would need to be completed by 2032.

Nicky Fox, NASA's science mission chief, noted that the agency has more time to evaluate options for Hubble than it did for Swift. Jared Isaacman, the NASA administrator, emphasized the value of the telescope in a statement. "Hubble still has important science ahead of it," he said. "and we should be looking at every reasonable opportunity to keep it delivering for as long as possible."

The contrast between the rushed Swift rescue and the upcoming Hubble deliberations underscores the shifting dynamics of space maintenance. While Swift's mission concluded with a failed rescue attempt, Hubble's future will be determined by a more deliberate assessment of industrial capabilities and scientific priorities.