NASA expects the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere at about 3:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Nov. 4, according to a prediction from the U.S. Space Force. Most of the spacecraft is expected to burn up during its descent, although some fragments could reach the ground.
NASA does not provide a live orbital tracker for Swift, but it is posting updates about the re-entry on its Swift blog. The agency and the Space Force will continue revising their predictions, since the timing and location could change.
For a live map of the observatory’s position, satellite-tracking services including Orbital Radar, N2YO and KeepTrack use orbital data from Space-Track.org, the U.S. military’s public portal. Swift can be identified by its NORAD catalog number, 28485.
The spacecraft’s surviving fragments could land within a band spanning 20.6 degrees south to 20.6 degrees north latitude. NASA says the chance of anyone being harmed by debris is unlikely, estimating the risk at about 1 in 2,100.
Launched in 2004, Swift studied gamma-ray bursts and other brief, energetic events. It could quickly turn toward a burst to observe its fading light, and also helped researchers study black holes and stars that flare in X-rays.
NASA and commercial contractor Katalyst Space attempted to extend the mission by sending a robotic spacecraft to raise Swift’s orbit. The $30 million rescue effort was abandoned after control problems with the servicing vehicle, LINK, prevented it from attempting to capture and boost the observatory.
Swift briefly resumed science observations after the rescue attempt, then entered a protective mode when it reached an altitude of 171 miles on Oct. 20 and could no longer counter atmospheric drag. Its operations team subsequently commanded the mission to end. NASA says other missions will take on some of Swift’s work, but its loss leaves researchers with fewer ways to follow up on new discoveries.
Sources: Mashable.