EPISODE · Jun 30, 2026 · 5 MIN
Mission to Save Doomed Satellite
ABC News Correspondent Jim Ryan talks about how two active NASA space telescopes, Swift and Hubble, have been driven down into precariously low orbits by solar flares. With no onboard propulsion systems to scoot itself higher, and no hooks for other spacecraft to hold onto, Swift has a 90% chance of burning up in Earth's atmosphere by late 2026. A 30-million-dollar salvage operation to lift the space telescope into higher orbit could be launched as early as Tuesday.
What this episode covers
ABC News Correspondent Jim Ryan talks about how two active NASA space telescopes, Swift and Hubble, have been driven down into precariously low orbits by solar flares. With no onboard propulsion systems to scoot itself higher, and no hooks for other spacecraft to hold onto, Swift has a 90% chance of burning up in Earth's atmosphere by late 2026. A 30-million-dollar salvage operation to lift the space telescope into higher orbit could be launched as early as Tuesday.
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Mission to Save Doomed Satellite
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