NASA's Swift space telescope re-entered Earth's atmosphere after 22 years in orbit, producing a fireball over Sumatra, according to De Telegraaf. The Dutch outlet reports that what happened to the debris after the telescope broke up is unknown.
The re-entry was covered by several Dutch and Belgian outlets, including NOS and VRT, which both described the telescope as having perished in the atmosphere after more than two decades in space. NU reported that an attempted rescue operation had also failed before the telescope came down.
According to De Telegraaf, the telescope weighed about 1,500 kilograms. The outlet had reported ahead of the re-entry that the spacecraft was expected to come down on Wednesday.
Swift was an American observatory, and its re-entry closes out a mission that lasted 22 years. The reports do not specify what scientific work the telescope was doing at the end of its life, nor what caused it to come down.
What remains unclear is where any surviving fragments landed. De Telegraaf notes that the fate of the debris has not been established, and none of the reports describe any damage or injuries on the ground.
Watch for updates from Dutch and international outlets on whether any pieces of the telescope are recovered, and for NASA's own statement on the end of the mission.
