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France 24
France 24
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FRANCE 24

Space telescope to burn in Earth's atmosphere after NASA rescue mission fails

This August 18, 2026, frame grab from a NASA live video stream
A frame grab from a NASA live videostream on August 18, 2026. © AFP

NASA on Wednesday said a $30 million mission to save its Swift space telescope had failed after its rescue spacecraft could not be controlled. The unprecedented effort aimed to use a robot to move Swift into a higher orbit. The satellite is now expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and disintegrate later this year.

A complicated mission to save a NASA satellite from burning up in the atmosphere has failed, the US space agency said Wednesday, as the rescue spacecraft could not be controlled.

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