Penn State ends Swift Observatory operations as re-entry nears
Technology
Penn State's operations team just called it a wrap on the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory after it dipped too low in orbit due to increased atmospheric drag.
The telescope went into safe mode last week at just 275km above Earth, and now it's set to re-enter the atmosphere in the coming weeks.
Swift tracked gamma-ray bursts and supernovae
Launched back in 2004, Swift helped scientists catch and study cosmic events like gamma-ray bursts and supernovae almost as they happened.
Its quick alerts led to some big discoveries about black holes and exploding stars.
Even though its scientific operations have ended, all that data will keep fueling new space research for years to come.