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A NASA telescope is slowly plummeting to earth and there's no way to save it

NPR | By Danielle Kurtzleben ,
Henry Larson, Tinbete Ermyas
Published August 23, 2026 at 4:23 PM CDT

NASA's Swift Observatory has orbited the Earth since 2004. It's now falling towards earth, and after a failed mission to save it, NASA is leaving the doomed telescope to its fate.

Copyright 2026 NPR
Danielle Kurtzleben
Danielle Kurtzleben is a White House correspondent on NPR's Washington Desk. She appears regularly on the NPR Politics Podcast and other NPR shows. 
Henry Larson
Tinbete Ermyas