# NASA Swift Telescope Ends Mission

> NASA's 22-year-old Swift satellite burns up in Indonesia after failed rescue attempt.
- Title: NASA Swift Telescope Ends Mission · The Straits Times
- Summary: NASA's 22-year-old Swift satellite burns up in Indonesia after failed rescue attempt. NASA's Swift telescope, which studied cosmic explosions for 22 years…
- Keywords: nasa, swift telescope, indonesia, re-entry, space debris, gamma ray bursts, The Straits Times
- Source: The Straits Times — https://straitstimes.com/world/nasas-22-year-old-swift-satellite-telescope-falls-from-orbit-in-fiery-finale
- Published: 2026-11-04T23:55:41+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: nasa, swift telescope, indonesia, re-entry, space debris, gamma ray bursts, news, world
## Swift Telescope Falls
NASA's 22-year-old Swift satellite telescope tumbled out of orbit on Nov 4, burning up in earth's atmosphere over indonesia.
## Failed Rescue Mission
A rescue spacecraft failed to boost the satellite to higher orbit after launching in july, abandoning the effort by mid-august.
## Re-entry Details
The satellite re-entered at 7.39am est over north sumatra province, 322 km north of the equator, at 22 times the speed of sound.
## Risk Assessment
NASA reported a very low risk to populated areas, with one chance in 2,100 odds of harm to anyone on earth.
## Scientific Legacy
Swift contributed to 7,000 published scientific papers studying gamma-ray bursts, supernovae, black holes and asteroids since 2004.
## Key takeaway

NASA's Swift telescope, which studied cosmic explosions for 22 years, fell from orbit over Indonesia after a failed rescue mission.