NASA's robot rescue of the Swift space telescope launches June 30

NASA will soon embark on a first-of-its-kind rescue mission, sending a robot to save a space observatory falling to Earth.

The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is a space observatory that uses three telescopes to study gamma-ray bursts and their afterglows across the gamma-ray, X-ray, ultraviolet, and optical wavebands. All satellites in low Earth orbit experience some orbital decay due to atmospheric drag and radiation. After over twenty years in service, spikes in solar activity have caused Swift's orbit to decay rapidly. In February, NASA suspended Swift's science operations, prioritizing minimizing drag to slow the observatory's descent into Earth's atmosphere.

Without intervention, the observatory would enter Earth's atmosphere and burn up, likely by the fall of 2026. In September 2025, Katalyst Space was tasked with developing a plan to boost Swift into a more stable orbit. Katalyst designed a robotic servicing spacecraft, LINK, which can be launched on a Pegasus XL rocket, rendezvous with Swift, and raise its orbit. Stargazer, a modified L-1011 operated by Northrop Grumman, has relocated to Kwajalein Atoll in the South Pacific Ocean. The Stargazer will carry the rocket and LINK on its belly and launch them directly into Swift's orbit. The launch is scheduled for no earlier than June 30. NASA is posting updates on the Swift blog.

Previously:

• Cool NASA tool shows near-live space telescope observations
• Webb space telescope confirms Hubble's view of universe's rate of expansion
• Compare images from NASA's new space telescope with those from Hubble