NASA’s Swift Observatory to Re-Enter Atmosphere

NASA's Swift Observatory to Re-Enter Atmosphere

NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is expected to re-enter Earth's atmosphere on Wednesday, Nov. 4, almost 22 years after launch. At launch, Swift was a first-of-its-kind multiwavelength observatory designed to study the most powerful explosions in the cosmos using its three telescopes.

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. Re-entry locations of any surviving components can vary from hemisphere to hemisphere and depend on when it re-enters. Due to Swift's low inclination, re-entry locations of surviving fragments are limited between 20.6 degrees south latitude and 20.6 degrees north latitude. The risk of harm coming to anyone on Earth is unlikely - approximately 1 in 2,100. NASA and Space Force will continue to monitor the re-entry and update predictions.

NASA's Swift launched in 2004 to explore the universe's most powerful explosions, called gamma-ray bursts. It was originally designed for a two-year prime mission. During more than two decades of science operations, Swift served as a multi-tool for exploring the universe, observing a wide range of light, rapidly pointing at short-lived outbursts, and sending alerts to other facilities to help coordinate follow-up observations. Swift has broadened our understanding of a wide variety of cosmic objects and events, from active galaxies powered by supermassive black holes and stars undergoing X-ray flares, to supernova explosions and comets and asteroids in our own solar system.

Monitor NASA's Swift blog for continued updates:

https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/swift

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