NASA's Swift space telescope crashes back to Earth

NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, weighing 1,450 kg, re-entered Earth's atmosphere on November 4 after nearly 22 years in space. Launched in 2004 to study gamma-ray bursts, it exceeded its planned two-year mission. Increased solar activity intensified atmospheric drag, accelerating its descent. Notably, NASA's attempt to rescue it using a commercial spacecraft failed.