GoKawiilNASA's Swift Observatory to re-enter Earth's atmosphere after failed orbit boost
NASA says its 3,200-pound Swift Observatory, launched nearly 22 years ago, is expected to re-enter Earth's atmosphere around 3:30AM ET Wednesday, with an 11-hour margin of error. Most of the spacecraft should burn up, though some components may survive and land somewhere between 20.6 degrees north and south latitude. NASA puts the odds of anyone being harmed at roughly 1 in 2,100.
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The re-entry follows an abandoned rescue attempt earlier this year, when a spacecraft called Link meant to boost Swift into a higher orbit suffered attitude-control problems, according to NASA. Swift's fall illustrates the growing challenge of managing aging satellites as solar activity increases atmospheric drag and shortens orbital lifespans. The low but nonzero risk NASA cites also underscores ongoing debate about controlled versus uncontrolled re-entries for large retired spacecraft.
- Swift Observatory is expected to re-enter Earth's atmosphere around 3:30AM ET Wednesday, with an 11-hour uncertainty window.
- NASA estimates a 1 in 2,100 chance of the debris causing harm, with surviving fragments likely landing near the equator.
- A prior attempt to boost Swift into a higher orbit using the Link spacecraft failed due to attitude-control issues, according to NASA.
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Published there as: “A truck-sized NASA space telescope is about to crash to Earth”
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