US observatory Swift re-enters atmosphere and most of its components expected to burn up Xinhua News Agency, Los Angeles, November 4: NASA confirmed on the 4th that the agency's Neil Grylls Swift Observatory (also known as "Swift") re-entered the Earth's atmosphere on the same day, ending its nearly 22-year space journey. The US Space Force confirmed that the Swift Observatory re-entered the atmosphere over the North Sumatra region of Indonesia at 7:39 EST on the 4th (20:39 Beijing time on the 4th), located at 3.4 degrees north and 98.6 degrees east. NASA estimates that most components of the Swift Observatory will burn up during reentry, but some components may still remain. The "Swiss" observatory was launched in 2004. Its main task is to observe gamma ray bursts in the universe. Its original designed main mission period was two years, and it has been in actual operation for nearly 22 years. NASA said on its official website that for more than 20 years of scientific operations, Swift has been called a "generalist" in space exploration. It can observe light in a variety of bands, quickly pinpoint short-lived explosive events, and send alerts to other facilities to help coordinate follow-up observations, expanding understanding of various cosmic objects and events. As the Swift Observatory's orbital altitude continues to drop, NASA has tried to increase its orbital altitude and extend its operational life, but has failed. Finally, Swift re-entered Earth's atmosphere to complete its mission.

US observatory Swift re-enters atmosphere and most of its components expected to burn up Xinhua News Agency, Los Angeles, November 4: NASA confirmed on the 4th that the agency's Neil Grylls Swift Observatory (also known as "Swift") re-entered the Earth's atmosphere on the same day, ending its nearly 22-year space journey. The US Space Force confirmed that the Swift Observatory re-entered the atmosphere over the North Sumatra region of Indonesia at 7:39 EST on the 4th (20:39 Beijing time on the 4th), located at 3.4 degrees north and 98.6 degrees east. NASA estimates that most components of the Swift Observatory will burn up during reentry, but some components may still remain. The "Swiss" observatory was launched in 2004. Its main task is to observe gamma ray bursts in the universe. Its original designed main mission period was two years, and it has been in actual operation for nearly 22 years. NASA said on its official website that for more than 20 years of scientific operations, Swift has been called a "generalist" in space exploration. It can observe light in a variety of bands, quickly pinpoint short-lived explosive events, and send alerts to other facilities to help coordinate follow-up observations, expanding understanding of various cosmic objects and events. As the Swift Observatory's orbital altitude continues to drop, NASA has tried to increase its orbital altitude and extend its operational life, but has failed. Finally, Swift re-entered Earth's atmosphere to complete its mission.