NASA's Swift observatory is set to fall back to Earth within days after a failed rescue mission
NASA's ageing Swift Observatory is expected to fall back to Earth after a failed rescue mission; most of the 1.5-ton telescope should burn up, though a few pieces could survive re-entry.
Left 0 · Centre-left 3 · Centre 0 · Centre-right 2 · Right 2
ContextSources by leanVideoDeep diveFollow the moneyMore coverage
How each side framed it
Left-leaning outlets
'NASA telescope is on the verge of plunging back to Earth after failed rescue mission' (Associated Press).
Centre outlets
No least-biased (centre) outlet in our sample covered it.
Right-leaning outlets
'NASA telescope could drop debris on Earth after failed rescue mission' (Newsweek).
Context
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Sources by lean
Balanced: the same number of articles from the left, the centre and the right (up to 3 each). The bar above still counts every rated outlet we found. Bias and factual ratings come from Media Bias/Fact Check. How we balance · All ratings.
Left 3
- The Independent
NASA's Swift spacecraft is on the verge of plunging back to Earth after failed rescue mission - Associated Press
NASA telescope is on the verge of plunging back to Earth after failed rescue mission (paywalled or blocks bots) - Washington Post
NASA telescope is on the verge of plunging back to Earth after failed rescue mission
Centre 0
No centre coverage found — blindspot
Showing 3 from left and right of 7 rated outlets (L 3 / C 0 / R 4). More coverage
Video
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Deep dive
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Follow the money
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Who owns or funds the outlets covering this story (7 outlets)
| Outlet | Lean | Ownership & funding (MBFC) |
|---|---|---|
| Associated Press | Centre-left | The Associated Press (AP) is a nonprofit news cooperative with a profit of $1.6 million in 2016. It also sells content to other media organizations. According to an article titled “ AP reports loss on one-time accounting charges,” t he Associated Press lost $74 million in 2017, and it states the reason as “mostly due to one-time accounting charges related to the federal tax overhaul passed late last year.” source |
| The Independent | Centre-left | The Independent is owned by Independent Print Limited, a company owned by the Lebedev family (Alexander Lebedev and his son Evgeny Lebedev). In 2017, Saudi Businessman Sultan Muhammad Abuljadayel bought a 30% stake in the Independent online newspaper. Advertising and subscription generate revenue for the paper..push({}); source |
| Washington Post | Centre-left | In 2013, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos bought The Washington Post for $250 million. Bezos is a frequent target of Trump, who has accused the businessman of using the Postal System as its “ Delivery Boy. ” The newspaper’s executive editor, Martin Baron, said Jeff Bezos, who founded Amazon, is not involved in its news coverage. source |
| ITV News | Centre-right | No ownership data found |
| Newsweek | Centre-right | Newsweek is owned by Newsweek Publishing LLC, which is co-owned by Dev Pragad and Johnathan Davis. Newsweek is funded through a paid subscription and advertising model. source |
| Breitbart | Right | After the death of Andrew Breitbart in 2012, Larry Solov became CEO and president of Breitbart News. In 2017, according to Politico, Larry Solov revealed the owner of Breitbart as “himself, founder Andrew Breitbart’s widow, Susie Breitbart, and the Republican mega-donor family, the Mercers.” Further, Solov also stated that he wants “to disclose as little as possible about financial and ownership structure.” source |
| Newsmax | Right | Newsmax is owned by publicly traded Newsmax Inc., which began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol NMAX on March 31, 2025. The company completed a $75 million public offering after previously raising approximately $225 million through a preferred-stock offering. source |