NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory has resumed science operations using two of its three instruments after a private rescue mission by Katalyst Space Technologies failed to boost its decaying orbit. Without an altitude increase, the 21-year-old space telescope faces an uncontrolled atmospheric reentry later this year.
The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is back online and scanning the cosmos. Mission controllers restarted two of the spacecraft’s three science instruments on August 26, according to an official update from NASA. The return to work follows a dramatic summer that saw a private commercial rescue effort unravel due to hardware failures in orbit.
Launched in November 2004, Swift was built for a two-year mission to study gamma-ray bursts, which are the most powerful explosions in the universe. It ended up outliving that initial design by nearly two decades, operating as a multi-wavelength observatory that quickly points at fleeting cosmic events and alerts ground facilities for follow-up observations.
The Rise and Fall of the Private Rescue Plan
Swift lacks an onboard propulsion system capable of counteracting atmospheric drag. In recent years, heightened solar activity heated and expanded Earth’s upper atmosphere, pulling the aging telescope downward faster than anticipated. In September 2025, Space to save the observatory from orbital decay.
Arizona-based Katalyst Space Technologies answered that call, securing a $30 million NASA contract to design, build, and launch a robotic spacecraft named LINK. The vehicle launched on July 3 aboard a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket with the ambitious goal of rendezvousing with Swift and physically raising its orbit.
That ambitious timeline quickly hit a wall. In late July, LINK suffered attitude-control problems that caused it to spin and disrupted communications. Although ground teams managed to reduce the spin, the loss of those attitude actuators meant LINK burned through its propellant reserves far faster than anticipated and lacked the precision needed to grapple Swift.
“You know, this is not the outcome that we wanted, but I think it’s very important to recognize the unprecedented scale. This was an ambitious, high-risk, high-reward mission where we designed, built and launched a space robot within nine months.”
Ghonhee Lee, Chief Executive of Katalyst Space Technologies, via CNN News Central
On August 19, SpaceNews that the re-boost attempt was officially off the table. Instead of abandoning LINK entirely, controllers redirected the spacecraft to approach Swift, enter its vicinity, and test rendezvous and proximity operations.
Restarting Instruments While the Clock Ticks
With the rescue mission canceled, NASA pivoted back to science operations. In February, controllers had shut down Swift’s Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope and X-ray Telescope to minimize atmospheric drag. In April, they halted the third instrument, the Burst Alert Telescope, to conserve power and allow the solar panels to be positioned for further drag reduction.
Mission controllers restarted the X-ray Telescope and Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope on August 26. The Burst Alert Telescope remains offline for now, but agency officials noted that the team hopes to resume data collection with it within the next few weeks.
Returning to science operations means accepting a faster descent. NASA estimates that Swift will reach an altitude of 185 miles within the next one to two months. Below that threshold, operating the observatory becomes exceptionally difficult, and its descent accelerates rapidly toward an uncontrolled reentry.
Uncontrolled Reentry Risks and Debris Survival
Swift is heading back to Earth without a controlled de-orbit burn. Space, confirmed the trajectory.
“Yes, Swift will have an uncontrolled reentry.”
Alise Fisher, Public Affairs Specialist in Astrophysics at NASA Headquarters
Fisher added that Swift is unlikely to reenter sooner than October, and the agency will share updates as the descent approaches.
Broader Repercussions for Commercial Space Partnerships
While the LINK mission did not save Swift, Katalyst is incorporating the flight data into other satellite servicing projects under development.
For now, the veteran observatory is making the most of its remaining weeks in orbit. NASA’s multitool continues to scan the sky, capturing transient cosmic phenomena while engineers monitor its final descent.
