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[Confirmed]

# NASA's Swift observatory reentered over Indonesia after nearly 22 years in orbit

Reentry came at 12:39 UTC on November 4 over North Sumatra, Spaceflight Now reports.

Leaked on 04 November 2026

![Illustration of NASA's Swift observatory](https://leakly.com/assets/images/nasa-swift-observatory-reenters-over-sumatra-hero.jpg)

Illustration of NASA's Swift observatory. [Photo: NASA E/PO, Sonoma State University/Aurore Simonnet (public domain) via Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Swift_Observatory_spacecraft_model.png)

[NASA](https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/swift/2026/11/02/nasas-swift-observatory-to-re-enter-atmosphere/)'s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory reentered Earth's atmosphere at 12:39 UTC on November 4 over Indonesia's North Sumatra region, according to US Space Force tracking data later confirmed by NASA, [Spaceflight Now](https://spaceflightnow.com/2026/11/04/nasas-neil-gehrels-swift-observatory-reenters-over-western-indonesia/) reported. @\_starbase\_ shared the news on X.

> **Mario Billiani 🚀** @\_starbase\_
>
> Likely reentry of @NASA's #Swift observatory over Sumatra & Malaysia at 12:39 UTC today. https://t.co/yLCfhics3U
>
> 42 likes · 11 reposts · counts as of 09 Nov 2026, 12:49 UTC
>
> — Mario Billiani 🚀 (@\_starbase\_) [November 4, 2026](https://twitter.com/_starbase_/status/2118055214032793916)

not in our leaker index

The reentry ended nearly 22 years in orbit for the gamma-ray burst hunter after a failed rescue attempt, Spaceflight Now says. NASA's Swift blog had announced in early November that the spacecraft was set to reenter.

NASA confirmed the reentry.

## What we know

* Swift reentered at 12:39 UTC on November 4.

## What we don't know

* Whether any debris reached the ground.

## What would confirm it

Already confirmed.

## Sources

* [Original X post by @\_starbase\_](https://x.com/_starbase_/status/2118055214032793916)
* [NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory reenters over Western Indonesia — Spaceflight Now](https://spaceflightnow.com/2026/11/04/nasas-neil-gehrels-swift-observatory-reenters-over-western-indonesia/)
* [NASA’s Swift Observatory Re-Entered Atmosphere - NASA Science](https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/swift/2026/11/02/nasas-swift-observatory-to-re-enter-atmosphere/)

[Confirmed]

## What happened later

NASA confirmed the reentry.

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