NASA telescope is on the verge of plunging back to Earth after failed rescue mission - ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos
NASA's aging Swift Observatory is expected to reenter Earth's atmosphere and crash following a failed rescue mission. While most of the telescope will burn up, officials warn that some debris could survive and land in various regions across the globe.
Why it matters
The event marks the end of a significant scientific mission that provided critical data on gamma ray bursts and supernovas for over two decades.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- An aging NASA telescope is barely clinging to space after a failed rescue effort left it tottering lower and lower.
The U.S. Space Force predicts the Swift Observatory will come crashing down on or around Friday.
Most of the 1 ½-ton telescope is expected to burn up in the atmosphere. But a handful of pieces made of denser-than-lead tungsten and some mirror parts could survive reentry, according to NASA's Brad Cenko, the mission’s chief scientist.
Any surviving wreckage will most likely plunge into the ocean. But swaths of Africa, Australia, India, Southeast Asia, and Central and South America are within the reentry zone. The Space Force is tracking the telescope’s dwindling path.
Also covering this story
8 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
NASA telescope is on the verge of plunging back to Earth after failed rescue mission - AP News
NASA's Swift spacecraft is on the verge of plunging back to Earth after failed rescue mission
NASA satellite to plunge back to Earth after 22 years in space
NASA telescope on verge of plunging back to Earth after failed rescue mission
NASA's Swift space telescope set for fiery return to Earth
NASA telescope is on the verge of plunging back to Earth after failed rescue mission
NASA's Swift telescope on the verge of plunging back to Earth
NASA telescope teeters on Earth plunge after failed rescue mission
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in