NASA ends Swift telescope's 20-year mission: observatory to burn up in Earth's atmosphere
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The American space agency NASA is ending the legendary mission of the Swift telescope. This spacecraft has operated in space for more than 20 years and helped scientists study gamma-ray bursts, among the most powerful explosions in the universe.
The observatory is gradually losing altitude, and its orbit is becoming lower and lower. To extend the telescope's operation, NASA tried to enlist a private spacecraft that was supposed to raise Swift to a higher orbit. This attempt was unsuccessful, and the observatory could not be saved.
The telescope is now awaiting its fall to Earth. It will burn up in the atmosphere, so people on the surface are not at risk of being harmed. This event has become an important milestone in the history of astronomy, since Swift made many discoveries during its time in operation.
NASA stated that ending the mission is a natural conclusion to the spacecraft's work. The scientific data the telescope collected over two decades remains valuable to researchers around the world.
Sources: РБК-Україна
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