Swift Telescope Set for Uncontrolled Reentry After Failed Rescue

NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, launched in 2004 to study gamma-ray bursts, is expected to reenter Earth in an uncontrolled descent after a private rescue mission (LINK) failed to rendezvous. Timing is uncertain, with officials saying reentry likely won’t happen before October, and most of the spacecraft is expected to burn up, though some components could survive and reach the ground. Swift’s ~613 kg dry mass and 21-degree orbital inclination mean debris could land anywhere from 21°N to 21°S, most likely in the sea; ground casualties are considered unlikely. NASA will share updates as reentry approaches.)