NASA's Swift Observatory resumes science after failed rescue mission

NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory has resumed scientific operations after a private rescue mission failed to prevent its orbital decay. On August 26, mission controllers reactivated two of the observatory’s three instruments: the X-ray Telescope and the Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope. The third instrument, the Burst Alert Telescope, remains offline but is expected to resume data collection within weeks.

The observatory, which has been active since 2004, is losing altitude due to atmospheric drag, a process accelerated by recent solar activity that expanded Earth’s upper atmosphere. Because Swift lacks its own propulsion system, NASA contracted Arizona-based Katalyst Space Technologies to launch the LINK spacecraft to rendezvous with and boost the observatory into a higher orbit.

However, the rescue attempt was abandoned after the LINK spacecraft experienced hardware failures in late July, including issues with its reaction wheels and propulsion system, causing it to spin out of control. Without a successful orbital boost, the aging telescope faces an uncontrolled atmospheric reentry later this year.