NASA's old 1.5-ton telescope, which they unsuccessfully tried to rescue, has fallen to Earth
The Swift telescope worked for almost 22 years instead of two. Scientists have not yet decided how to replace it.
The Swift space telescope entered the atmosphere over Indonesia on November 4 and burned up. To extend its life, NASA sent a special rescue spacecraft into orbit, but the mission failed, Reuters writes.
The telescope, weighing about 1.5 tons, entered the atmosphere over the Indonesian province of North Sumatra.
At that moment, it was moving approximately 22 times faster than the speed of sound.
According to NASA, most of the apparatus should have burned up high above the ground, though individual fragments might have survived.
Swift was launched in November 2004. It was designed for only two years of operation, but it lasted almost 22 years. Observations were stopped only on October 20.
The observatory's main task was to study gamma-ray bursts — the most powerful known energy releases in the Universe. Three telescopes on board allowed it to observe cosmic events across different radiation ranges.
A particular advantage of Swift was its ability to quickly turn to a new burst to capture it in time.
During its operation, it observed supernova explosions, black holes tearing apart stars, comets, and asteroids. Its data were used in approximately seven thousand scientific publications. The cost of the apparatus itself was about $500 million.
However, Swift did not have its own engine, which would have allowed it to move to a higher orbit. The telescope gradually descended, and the high solar activity of recent years accelerated this process.
To rescue it, NASA enlisted the company Katalyst Space. In July, it launched a special spacecraft called LINK: it was supposed to approach Swift, capture it, and drag it to a higher orbit.
But ultimately, the rescuer itself needed rescuing. Shortly after entering space, LINK began to spin uncontrollably. In mid-August, the mission was abandoned, and in September, the apparatus itself fell to Earth.
Swift remained in orbit for a few more weeks. Scientists have not yet decided how to replace this observatory.
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