Reentry watch · satellite
Swift: coming down
Swift is expected to come back into the atmosphere on November 4, 2026 at 12:30 AM UTC, give or take 14 hours. Where it comes down depends on the exact time, which narrows as the day comes.
- What
- Satellite (SWIFT)
- Catalog number
- 28485
- Launched
- Nov 20, 2004 (2004-047A)
- Size on radar
- large
- Predicted
- November 4, 2026 at 12:30 AM UTC, give or take 14 hours
- Where it is then
- 17.1° N, 170.9° E, over the Pacific Ocean, heading east
- Updates
- 2 from Space-Track, the last on Nov 1, 2026, 12:28 AM UTC
Its path while the window is open
The map needs JavaScript. The list below names the cities near the path.
The line is where it would be at each moment of the window; the dot is where Space-Track expects it at the predicted time. Within the shaded band it could be seen, low in the sky, if it came down at that point.
Who might see it
Cities within about 1,000 km of the path while their sky is dark, if it comes down while passing them:
- Salvador: 73 km to the northwest, 10:09 PM GMT-3
- Belém: 92 km to the north, 8:32 PM GMT-3
- Fortaleza: 119 km to the southwest, 8:35 PM GMT-3
- Barranquilla: 156 km to the southwest, 6:25 PM GMT-5
- Antananarivo: 168 km to the southeast, 2:57 AM GMT+3
- Harare: 180 km to the south, 3:26 AM GMT+2
- Cali: 189 km to the southwest, 7:58 PM GMT-5
- Manaus: 201 km to the southwest, 9:03 PM GMT-4
- Recife: 212 km to the northeast, 8:36 PM GMT-3
- Panama City: 238 km to the north, 6:24 PM EST
- Maracaibo: 239 km to the south, 7:26 PM GMT-4
- Quito: 269 km to the northeast, 7:58 PM GMT-5
- Valencia: 331 km to the south, 7:27 PM GMT-4
- Maracay: 347 km to the south, 7:27 PM GMT-4
- Medellín: 382 km to the northeast, 6:25 PM GMT-5
- Caracas: 398 km to the southwest, 7:27 PM GMT-4
- Bogotá: 422 km to the south, 7:59 PM GMT-5
- Lusaka: 486 km to the south, 3:26 AM GMT+2
- Guayaquil: 543 km to the north, 7:58 PM GMT-5
- Pretoria: 580 km to the north, 1:52 AM GMT+2
- Maputo: 593 km to the north, 1:53 AM GMT+2
- Johannesburg: 631 km to the north, 1:52 AM GMT+2
- Brasília: 661 km to the north, 10:07 PM GMT-3
- Goiânia: 801 km to the northeast, 10:07 PM GMT-3
From where you are
Whether its path passes within sight of you while your sky is dark.
or pick a place:
How the prediction changed
| Issued | Predicted time | Give or take |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 1, 2026, 12:28 AM UTC | Nov 4, 2026, 12:30 AM UTC | 14 hours |
| Oct 31, 2026, 11:46 AM UTC | Nov 4, 2026, 9:25 AM UTC | 18 hours |
What a reentry looks like
Satellites and rocket stages hit the air at about 28,000 km/h (17,000 mph). About 70 to 100 km up they start to glow and break apart, so from the ground it looks like a slow line of orange and white fireballs, often with glowing trails, moving across the sky together in a straight line. It can last from 30 seconds to a few minutes, and it can be seen from up to about 1,000 km away, low on the horizon.
Not a meteor: a meteor is over in a second or two. A reentry is slower, lasts longer, and usually breaks into a cluster of pieces. Not a plane: no blinking lights, and it doesn't turn.
Is it dangerous?
Almost never. Starlink satellites are built to burn up completely. Big rocket stages can drop a few tough parts, like fuel tanks, which nearly always land in the ocean. If you find something you think fell from space, don't touch it: take photos and call the local police.
Saw it? Report it Everything coming down
Predictions from Space-Track.org (USSPACECOM's reentry messages). They narrow as the day comes: a few days out the time is only known to within hours, in the last hours to within minutes. Tumbling objects can still come down outside the window. Paths are worked out from the newest orbit data.