NASA’s Swift telescope burned up over North Sumatra, Indonesia, on Wednesday, Nov. 4, less than three months after a rescue mission to boost its orbit failed. The Swift telescope re-entry happened at 7.39 am EST (12.39 pm UTC), according to NASA as reported by DW. Reuters also reported the date and said the US Space Force confirmed the 7.39 am EST timing, according to the Straits Times.
The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory streaked into the upper atmosphere at about 22 times the speed of sound, roughly 322 km north of the equator, according to NASA as reported by the South China Morning Post. NASA said most of the satellite was expected to burn up, with some fragments possibly surviving. It reported no damage or injuries on the ground, according to the Straits Times.
The satellite weighed roughly 1,452 kg and was launched in 2004 at a cost of $500 million, DW reported. It was designed for a two-year mission but operated for nearly 22 years. It had lacked its own propulsion system and had been drifting toward orbital instability for months. Swift studied gamma-ray bursts and contributed to nearly 7,000 published scientific papers. It ceased operations on Oct. 20, according to DW.
In July, NASA and Katalyst Space launched the LINK rescue vehicle to tug Swift into a higher orbit and extend its life. According to the Straits Times, LINK began spinning uncontrollably after reaching space, and mission managers abandoned the effort by mid-August. The US Space Force calculated the risk to populated areas as very low, at one chance in 2,100 of harm to anyone on Earth, according to Reuters.
Officials have not said whether any debris has been found. Several key details rest on a small number of outlets, and the sources do not say how close the re-entry point was to Medan, the North Sumatra capital, nor include a response from Indonesian authorities or a statement from Katalyst Space. The Space Force risk estimate and NASA’s assessment of surviving fragments are the points to watch in follow-up reporting.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.