NASA says the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory reentered Earth’s atmosphere at 7:39 a.m. EST on November 4, 2026, over North Sumatra, Indonesia, near 3.4° N, 98.6° E. The agency reported that the U.S. Space Force confirmed the event in its reentry update.
Swift’s science mission ended before the spacecraft made its final return to Earth.
What NASA expected during reentry
NASA expected most of Swift to burn up in the atmosphere, while some components might survive. Swift launched in 2004 with a planned two-year prime mission and three telescopes. It operated for nearly 22 years.
Swift made its final observation on October 20, 2026, at about 275 kilometers altitude. NASA ended science operations on October 23, according to aerospace researcher Wanjiku Chebet Kanjumba’s account of the mission. NeoTeo covered the end of Swift’s science mission.
Kanjumba attributes Swift’s faster orbital decline to increased solar activity beginning in 2024. The activity heated and expanded the upper atmosphere, increasing drag on the observatory.
Why the rescue attempt failed
NASA’s attempted rescue involved LINK, a commercial robotic spacecraft built by Katalyst Space Technologies. The plan was to capture Swift and raise its orbit to about 600 kilometers. Kanjumba reports that LINK did not capture the observatory; its closest approach was about 12 to 15 kilometers.
