NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory reentered Earth's atmosphere on Wednesday at 7:39 a.m. EST over western Indonesia, ending nearly 22 years in orbit. The spacecraft came down near 3 degrees north latitude and 99 degrees east longitude in the North Sumatra region, according to U.S. Space Force tracking data confirmed by NASA.
The reentry timing fell within the Space Force's predicted window of 6:42-8:42 a.m. EST. NASA stated that most of the spacecraft burned up during atmospheric entry, though some components may have survived. The agency assessed the risk of ground impact at about 1 in 2,100.
Swift launched from Cape Canaveral aboard a Delta 2 rocket on November 20, 2004, designed for a two-year mission. Over its actual 22-year operational life, the spacecraft detected more than 2,000 gamma-ray bursts and studied more than 1,400 supernovae. Swift data contributed to approximately 7,000 scientific papers.
The observatory used three telescopes to quickly detect cosmic explosions and alert other observatories worldwide within about a minute of observation. Swift made its final observation on October 20 from approximately 171 miles above Earth's surface.
Swift lacked an engine, and increased solar activity expanded the upper atmosphere, creating more atmospheric drag than NASA anticipated and accelerating the spacecraft's orbital decay. NASA contracted Katalyst Space for $30 million to send a robotic tug called LINK to raise Swift's orbit, but the vehicle lost orientation control weeks after its July 3 launch. NASA canceled the rescue attempt on August 19.