NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory re-entered Earth's atmosphere on Wednesday at 7:39 a.m. EST above North Sumatra, Indonesia, after nearly 22 years in space. The U.S. Space Force confirmed the re-entry location at approximately 3.4 degrees north latitude and 98.6 degrees east longitude.
Launched in 2004, Swift carried three telescopes designed to study gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful explosions in the universe. The spacecraft could detect different types of light, allowing scientists to investigate energetic cosmic events. NASA originally planned for Swift to operate for just two years.
Swift's key capability was responding quickly to sudden cosmic events. When it detected an outburst, it could rapidly redirect its telescopes and alert observatories worldwide, allowing astronomers to study brief phenomena before they faded. The observatory's observations extended beyond its original gamma-ray burst focus to include active galaxies powered by supermassive black holes, X-ray flares from stars, supernovae, and objects in our solar system including comets and asteroids.
NASA anticipated that most of the spacecraft would burn up during re-entry, though some components might have survived the intense heat.