NASA's old space telescope is about to fall to Earth — it weighs one and a half tons
According to the U.S. Space Force forecast, the telescope will re-enter the atmosphere next Friday.
NASA's aging Swift space telescope will soon fall to Earth. An attempt to save it failed, and it is sinking lower every day, reports Associated Press.
According to the U.S. Space Force forecast, the telescope will re-enter the atmosphere next Friday. It weighs about one and a half tons, and most of it should burn up. Only a few parts made of tungsten, which is denser than lead, and mirror parts might survive. Most likely, the debris will fall into the ocean. However, Africa, Australia, India, Southeast Asia, Central and South America are within the possible impact zone.
The telescope was descending faster than usual because the Sun has been very active in recent years. A year ago, NASA hired Katalyst Space for an urgent rescue mission. Its three-armed robot Link launched in July but encountered problems. It only approached the telescope within 12-15 km, and in September, it itself fell to Earth.
Swift was launched on November 20, 2004. During this time, it has recorded over 2000 gamma-ray bursts, 1400 stellar explosions, and many comets, asteroids, and black holes.
Its main advantage was its ability to quickly turn to cosmic events. Scientists have not yet decided what will replace Swift.
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