NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is careening back toward Earth | Here’s what to know

NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory crashed back to Earth on November 4, ending its mission nearly 22 years after launch. The space telescope met a fiery end following a failed rescue attempt three months prior, when a private spacecraft was intended to boost the observatory into a higher orbit. The event marks the conclusion of the observatory's operational life after it careened back toward the planet, resulting in the total loss of the NASA asset.