NASA's Swift Observatory completes mission with fiery re-entry over Indonesia

NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, a gamma-ray burst hunter, re-entered Earth's atmosphere over western Indonesia on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at 7:39 a.m. EST (12:39 UTC), marking the end of its nearly 22-year mission. The spacecraft's re-entry followed a failed attempt to boost its orbit earlier in the year. Most of the spacecraft was expected to burn up during its descent through the atmosphere.