NASA has announced that its decommissioned space telescope is set to make a fiery re-entry on Wednesday, warning that some components are expected to survive.
The 3,200-pound Swift Observatory launched in 2004 to study gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful explosions in the universe, and other cosmic objects and events.
It was designed for a two-year prime mission.
After 21 years of science operations, Swift’s low Earth orbit began to rapidly decay because of increased solar activity.
NASA is tracking the telescope as it moves closer to Earth, suggesting it will make an uncontrolled plummet through the atmosphere at 3.30am ET, with an uncertainty of
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