Swift has crashed, ending a 22-year mission: Where did it burn up and did debris survive?

The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory crashed on Wednesday (Nov 4) after its orbit weakened and a mission failed to save it. The nearly 1,500-kilogram telescope re-entered Earth's atmosphere at 7:39 am EST (6:09 pm IST) over northern Sumatra, satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell said, citing Space Force data. Most of the spacecraft burned up, with no news yet of any debris that may have survived. NASA had said that the crash would not be hazardous, with only a 1 in 2,100 chance of causing any damage.

Swift was being dragged after its orbit started weakening due to solar storms and other reasons. The spacecraft was launched in 2004 and studied some of the most powerful gamma rays in the universe for 22 years. But then it started falling in the past few years. NASA did not want to let go of it this easily. It awarded Katalyst Space the contract to build a spacecraft that could catch Swift, carry it upwards and place it in a more stable orbit.

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Robotic arms launched to save Swift failed

The LINK mission was launched in July this year. It was supposed to align with Swift, and then its three robotic arms were supposed to carry it to a more stable orbit. It was even captured near the observatory a few weeks later. However, it went into an uncontrollable spin which could not be fixed. Meanwhile, Swift had dropped from 600 km above Earth's surface to around 360 km. By 300 km, it became impossible to save it, and NASA announced that the observatory would tumble down by November.

Also Read: Swift telescope to crash on Earth this month - What to expect, and does it pose a danger?

LINK crashed back on Earth on September 25. "From the beginning, this was a high-risk, high-reward mission," Shawn Domagal-Goldman, director of NASA's Astrophysics Division, said in a statement. He added that even though the mission failed, "this boost effort would be worthwhile either way — advancing U.S. spacecraft servicing technology, challenging us to meet unprecedented mission timelines, and testing how we operate satellites to extend their time in low Earth orbit."

Praising the Swift's achievements, Domagal-Goldman said, "Swift delivered an incredible, lasting return on investment for the nation, designed for a two-year primary mission but productive for more than 10 times as long." He added that Swift "advanced our understanding of the changing universe and was part of a revolution in astrophysics."

Over 22 years, Swift observed more than 2,000 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and 1,400 supernovas.