NASA space telescope plunges to Earth after two decades studying cosmic explosions

NASA’s Swift Observatory has reentered Earth’s atmosphere, ending a 22-year mission studying some of the universe’s biggest explosions. The spacecraft’s demise was confirmed by the U.S. Space Force after it tracked Swift’s sinking orbit near Indonesia, a process linked to intense solar activity over the last few years. The end comes less than three months after a planned rescue attempt failed: Katalyst Space’s three-armed robotic craft launched in July, but encountered problems and crashed in September. NASA said it expected some denser pieces to survive, but the extent of what burned up wasn’t immediately known.