NASA’s Swift telescope has burned up, months after a robot sent to save it failed – here’s why it’s so hard to boost a satellite

After 22 years in orbit, NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory reentered Earth's atmosphere on November 4, 2026, above North Sumatra, largely burning up. The mission ended after a commercial spacecraft called LINK, sent in summer 2026 to boost Swift to a safer orbit, itself failed and reentered first. The incident illustrates emerging risks in the growing satellite repair and maintenance industry, as rescue operations can create additional hazards if they go wrong.

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