3,200-pound space telescope plunges back to Earth after 22 years in orbit

November 4, 2026 / 4:55 PM EST / CBS News

The Swift Observatory, a 1.5-ton NASA telescope that was launched more than two decades ago, has crashed back to Earth after an effort to rescue the wayward instrument failed earlier this year.

The roughly 3,200-pound observatory reentered Earth's atmosphere at 7:39 a.m. ET over the North Sumatra region of Indonesia, NASA said. Much of it burned up upon reentry. Some components are expected to survive reentry and may be found sprawled across hemispheres, NASA said.

The observatory's reentry path was tracked by NASA and the U.S. Space Force. NASA predicted its reentry time at around 3:30 a.m. ET on Nov. 4, with an 11-hour window of uncertainty on either side. NASA had previously said the "risk of harm coming to anyone on Earth is unlikely," placing the odds at about 1 in 2,100.

The Swift Observatory was sent into low-Earth orbit on Nov. 20, 2004 — almost exactly 22 years ago. The telescope's mission was to search for massive galactic explosions, including gamma-ray bursts and supernovas. The telescope was named for its ability to swerve rapidly toward such events.

The telescope was initially designed to run a two-year mission, but…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/