- NASA launched a $30 million mission to save the Swift Observatory from burning up in orbit
- Swift Observatory has spent 22 years observing gamma-ray bursts and cosmic events since 2004
- The satellite's orbit has decayed to 224 miles due to atmospheric drag and solar activity
About the 'Swift' rescue mission: NASA has launched a $30 million emergency effort to prevent its ageing Swift Observatory from burning up in Earth's atmosphere, marking the first US attempt to robotically grab and re-boost a satellite never designed to be serviced. As per NASA, the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, which was launched in November 2004, has spent 22 years hunting gamma-ray bursts, which are the universe's most powerful explosions. The telescope also observes other cosmic objects and events.
Originally placed at about 600 km altitude, Swift has been sinking due to atmospheric drag. Recent intense solar activity has warmed and expanded Earth's upper atmosphere, accelerating the decay. Swift now orbits at roughly 224 miles (360 km) and is dropping fast.
NASA estimates it will hit a "point of no return" around 185 miles (300 km) by October 2026, with a 90% chance of uncontrolled reentry by late 2026 if nothing is done.
To slow the descent, NASA shut off all scientific instruments in February 2026, halting observations. If the boost succeeds, Swift could resume operations by September 2026.
Only China has performed a similar mission, boosting a satellite to a graveyard orbit in 2022. This will be the first American robotic spacecraft to attempt capturing and repositioning an unprepared satellite.
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Here's all you need to know about the rescue plan
NASA awarded Arizona startup Katalyst Space Technologies in September 2025, which is a $30 million contract to build a rescue craft on an aggressive nine-month timeline. The mission, called the "Swift Boost", will use Katalyst's autonomous spacecraft, named Link, to rendezvous with Swift and push it to a higher, stable orbit.
The mission is scheduled to launch Tuesday (June 30) aboard a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket air-launched from a carrier aircraft over the Reagan Test Range at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
As per reports, Link, the size of a kitchen refrigerator, will take about a month to reach and capture Swift. It will spend another two months raising Swift's orbit from 224 miles (360 km) to the target 373 miles (600 km).
Swift was never built for repair, which makes the task exceptionally difficult. "We didn't want to set the precedent that anything that comes out of orbit has to be boosted, because it is part of our space ecosystem to have things deorbit frequently," Shawn Domagal-Goldman, NASA's Astrophysics Division director, told reporters during a Swift rescue mission briefing on June 17.
"But this was not just any spacecraft; this is an observatory with unique capabilities for astrophysics... It is a swift observatory that can quickly pivot across the night sky to find things that go boom in the night."
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Why save Swift
Worth hundreds of millions of dollars, Swift is NASA's "first responder" for astrophysics. It can pivot within minutes to capture gamma-ray bursts and exploding stars. As per Space.com, it discovered the "BOAT", the Brightest Of All Time gamma-ray burst, in 2022, the most powerful cosmic event ever recorded.
