NASA's Swift Observatory expected to re-enter Earth's atmosphere

NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere on Wednesday, Nov. 4, almost 22 years after launch.

Re-entry details and predictions

As of Monday, the U.S. Space Force predicted that the roughly 3,200-pound spacecraft will re-enter the atmosphere at approximately 3:30 a.m. EST, Nov. 4, with an uncertainty of 11 hours.

NASA expects most of the spacecraft to burn up as it travels through the atmosphere, but some components are expected to survive re-entry. The locations of any surviving fragments are limited between 20.6 degrees south latitude and 20.6 degrees north latitude due to the observatory's low inclination. NASA states that "the risk of harm coming to anyone on Earth is unlikely — approximately 1 in 2,100."

Mission history and capabilities

Swift launched in 2004 to explore gamma-ray bursts, which NASA describes as the universe's most powerful explosions. While originally designed for a two-year prime mission, the observatory has conducted science operations for more than two decades.

According to NASA, the observatory has served as a multi-tool for exploring the universe by:

• Observing a wide range of light.
• Rapidly pointing at short-lived outbursts.
• Sending alerts to other facilities to help coordinate follow-up observations.

Swift has observed various cosmic objects, including active galaxies powered by supermassive black holes, stars undergoing X-ray flares, supernova explosions, comets, and asteroids.

Why it matters

NASA and the U.S. Space Force will continue to monitor the re-entry and provide updates to their predictions.

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Sources

• science.nasa.gov: NASA’s Swift Observatory to Re-Enter Atmosphere - NASA Science

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