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A NASA Telescope Is Predicted to Crash Back to Earth Within Hours
Confirmed
In Short: NASA's Swift Observatory, launched in 2004, is predicted to re-enter Earth's atmosphere on November 4, 2026, with an uncertainty of 11 hours.
NASA's Swift Observatory, launched in 2004, is set to re-enter Earth's atmosphere on November 4, 2026, at approximately 3:30 a.m. EST, with an uncertainty of 11 hours, according to NASA and the U.S. Space Force.
The Swift Observatory, which has been orbiting Earth for 22 years, is currently estimated to weigh around 3,200 pounds. NASA stated that the risk of harm to anyone on Earth is unlikely, with a 1 in 2,100 chance.
The Swift Observatory's mission has been crucial in detecting gamma-ray bursts, which are among the most energetic events in the universe. Shawn Domagal-Goldman, director of NASA's Astrophysics Division, highlighted Swift's unique capability in pinpointing these bursts.
John Nousek, an astronomer who led the control team for Swift, noted that the observatory's end is inevitable due to the laws of physics. 'What goes up must come down,' Nousek said, emphasizing the catastrophic nature of the re-entry.
Despite the impending re-entry, the Swift team expressed gratitude for the observatory's contributions. 'Our fervent hope is that the lessons learned by the successes of Swift can be applied to new generations of space missions,' Nousek added.
The Swift Observatory's re-entry zone includes swaths of Africa, Australia, India, Southeast Asia, and Central and South America. Brad Cenko, the mission's chief scientist, noted that some pieces made of denser-than-lead tungsten and mirror parts could survive re-entry.
NASA's efforts to extend Swift's mission through a commercial spacecraft, LINK, were unsuccessful due to an ongoing attitude control issue. The LINK spacecraft failed to capture or boost Swift to a higher altitude.
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center built the Wide Field Instrument (WFI) for the Roman Space Telescope, while BAE Systems built the remainder of the instrument, including the element wheel that articulates optical filters.
During its journey to the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 2, NASA mission controllers will command the Roman Space Telescope through commissioning to start up and calibrate the onboard instruments.
What this adds
The Swift Observatory's re-entry is expected to occur on November 4, 2026, at 10:19 UTC ± 2 hours, according to EarthSky.
Amateur astronomers in Puerto Rico captured a video of both LINK and Swift in the same orbit around Earth.
The Roman Space Telescope's WFI's focal plane assembly and calibration system were built by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, while BAE Systems built the remainder of the instrument.
What's confirmed
- NASA's Swift Observatory, launched in 2004, is set to re-enter Earth's atmosphere on November 4, 2026, at approximately 3:30 a.m. EST, with an uncertainty of 11 hours, according to NASA and the U.S. Space Force.
- The Swift Observatory, which has been orbiting Earth for 22 years, is currently estimated to weigh around 3,200 pounds. NASA stated that the risk of harm to anyone on Earth is unlikely, with a 1 in 2,100 chance.
- The Swift Observatory's mission has been crucial in detecting gamma-ray bursts, which are among the most energetic events in the universe. Shawn Domagal-Goldman, director of NASA's Astrophysics Division, highlighted Swift's unique capability in pinpointing these bursts.
- John Nousek, an astronomer who led the control team for Swift, noted that the observatory's end is inevitable due to the laws of physics. 'What goes up must come down,' Nousek said, emphasizing the catastrophic nature of the re-entry.
- Despite the impending re-entry, the Swift team expressed gratitude for the observatory's contributions. 'Our fervent hope is that the lessons learned by the successes of Swift can be applied to new generations of space missions,' Nousek added.
- The Swift Observatory's re-entry zone includes swaths of Africa, Australia, India, Southeast Asia, and Central and South America. Brad Cenko, the mission's chief scientist, noted that some pieces made of denser-than-lead tungsten and mirror parts could survive re-entry.
- NASA's efforts to extend Swift's mission through a commercial spacecraft, LINK, were unsuccessful due to an ongoing attitude control issue. The LINK spacecraft failed to capture or boost Swift to a higher altitude.
- NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center built the Wide Field Instrument (WFI) for the Roman Space Telescope, while BAE Systems built the remainder of the instrument, including the element wheel that articulates optical filters.
- During its journey to the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 2, NASA mission controllers will command the Roman Space Telescope through commissioning to start up and calibrate the onboard instruments.
What's still developing
- November 2, 2026 / 2:00 PM EST / CBS/AP An aging NASA telescope is barely clinging to space after a failed rescue effort left it tottering lower and lower.
- NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said : This is not the outcome we were working toward, but it does not change why this mission was worth attempting.
- Amateur astronomers in Puerto Rico — with the Sociedad de Astronomía del Caribe — captured a video of both LINK and Swift in the same (or a similar) orbit around Earth.
- Once Swift has slewed toward a newly detected gamma-ray burst, the X-Ray Telescope (XRT) takes over.
- NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is back with another stunner: a new 223-megapixel composite featuring about 16.5 million stars that have been evolving over several million years.
- About half an hour later, Roman separated from the rocket’s upper stage and began traveling toward its intended orbit around the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 2.
- As is standard procedure for major NASA missions, the US space agency held a post-launch news conference on Sunday morning at Kennedy Space Center in Florida to provide information about how the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope was faring during its initial maneuvers.