Compiled from reports by NASA and Scientific American. See the original articles linked below.
NASA has brought the science mission of its Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to a close after nearly 22 years in orbit, according to a NASA Science article by Francis Reddy dated Oct. 23, 2026 and updated Oct. 26. The agency said the spacecraft now circles below roughly 171 miles (275 kilometres), an altitude where drag from the thin atmosphere prevents its telescopes from holding steady on a target. NASA reported that Swift made its last observation on Oct. 20 and is expected to re-enter the atmosphere within weeks.
The rescue effort
Scientific American reported on Aug. 19 that NASA had spent about $30 million on a mission to save the observatory. The plan relied on a spacecraft called LINK, built and operated by Katalyst Space Technologies, which was meant to grab Swift and push it into a higher orbit. According to Scientific American, Swift's orbit was shrinking faster than anticipated, leaving Katalyst only nine months to build and launch LINK.
Scientific American said trouble began a few weeks after LINK's launch in early July. On July 28, NASA stated that hardware malfunctions had sent the spacecraft into an uncontrolled spin and that communication with it was intermittent. The magazine reported that attempts to steady LINK with the same thrusters intended for the Swift operation were not enough, and that Katalyst and NASA then agreed the mission would not include capturing and lifting Swift. Swift had by then already paused its operations, so astronomers lost its high-energy observations.
Scientific American added that Katalyst intends to keep collecting LINK data to inform future satellite-servicing missions, and that its chief executive, Ghonhee Lee, said the company had learned a great deal. The magazine also reported that NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman described the result as not what was hoped for but said the attempt was still worth making.
Swift's record
NASA said Swift launched on Nov. 20, 2004, with a primary mission planned for two years, and ended up operating for more than ten times that period. In 2018 the observatory was renamed for Neil Gehrels, its first principal investigator, following his death. According to NASA, Swift observed more than 2,000 gamma-ray bursts and more than 1,400 supernovae, and its data contributed to about 7,000 published papers. NASA also listed observations of stars torn apart by black holes, active galaxies, asteroids and comets.
The agency described Swift's rapid-response design, which allowed it to find and observe gamma-ray bursts in about a minute. NASA said that in 2005 the observatory captured the first afterglow from a short gamma-ray burst. Its public archive holds almost 22 years of data, including more than 1.5 million images and about 12 terabytes in total, NASA reported.
NASA quoted Shawn Domagal-Goldman, director of its Astrophysics Division, as saying the mission "delivered an incredible, lasting return on investment." The agency said it will keep looking for new ways to respond quickly to cosmic events, using current missions to cover the gap left by Swift.
Sources
- NASA's Swift Mission Ends, Leaves Behind Scientific Bonanza (NASA, 2026-10-23)
- NASA calls off rescue mission for its falling Swift space telescope (Scientific American, 2026-08-19)
This article was compiled with AI assistance from the reports listed above and reviewed by GMA before publishing.