NASA’s 3,200-pound Swift space telescope crashes back to Earth over Indonesia after failed $30 million rescue mission

NASA’s 3,200-pound Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory has plunged back to Earth after nearly 22 years in orbit, bringing an end to a mission that transformed scientists’ understanding of some of the universe’s most powerful explosions. The space telescope re-entered Earth's atmosphere over northern Sumatra, Indonesia, on November 4, 2026, after a failed attempt to save it from an uncontrolled descent. Although most of the spacecraft was expected to burn up during re-entry, NASA estimated that the possibility of someone on Earth being harmed by falling debris was approximately one in 2,100. The re-entry was tracked using US Space Force data, with NASA and the Aerospace Corporation monitoring its final descent.The observatory's return was the culmination of months of concern over its deteriorating orbit. Launched on November 20, 2004, Swift was originally designed for a two-year primary mission. However, the spacecraft continued operating for almost 22 years, far exceeding its planned lifespan and becoming one of NASA's most important tools for observing high-energy events across the universe.According to NASA, Swift's re-entry was expected to take place at approximately 3:30 am Eastern ...