After failure of private rescue mission, NASA's Swift space telescope will crash back to Earth. But when and where?

Artist's illlustration of NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, which launched to Earth orbit in November 2004 and will soon fall out of space.

A private spacecraft failed to rescue NASA's Swift space telescope, meaning the big observatory will come crashing back to Earth in the near future.

The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory launched to Earth orbit in November 2004. Over the past two decades, it studied gamma-ray bursts — the most powerful explosions in the universe — and other cosmic objects and events using a trio of telescopes.