Two of the veteran space observatory's three instruments are back to collecting data, but the LINK service spacecraft will not raise its orbit. NASA estimates that Swift will fall below the 300-kilometer mark in one to two months, beyond which operations become more difficult.
Neil Gerles Space Telescope Swift of NASA It returned to observing the universe, although its orbit continued to decrease and a rescue attempt to raise it was canceled. On August 26, 2026, the mission team reactivated two of its three scientific instruments: the X-ray telescope and the ultraviolet-optical telescope.
The restart represents a clear operational choice. In the previous months, NASA had scaled back Swift's science operations to reduce atmospheric drag and buy time until the service spacecraft arrived. LINKAfter it became clear that LINK would not be able to capture the observatory and elevate its orbit, there was no longer any point in leaving Swift in extreme conservation mode. Instead, NASA is using the remaining time to collect science data.
Two telescopes returned, the third is still down
The X-ray Telescope (XRT) and the Ultraviolet Optical Telescope (UVOT) were turned off in February as part of an effort to reduce drag and extend Swift's stay in orbit as long as possible. Upon their return to operation, XRT imaged, among other things, the Tycho supernova remnant in the Cassiopeia constellation, about 13 light-years away.
The third instrument, the Blast Alert Telescope (BAT), has not been collecting data since April. Turning it off reduced power consumption and allowed engineers to reorient the solar panels so that less surface area is exposed to the thin atmospheric flow. According to a NASA update on August 28, the team plans to bring it back to collecting data in a few weeks.
Rapid warning system for cosmic events
Swift was launched in November 2004 on a mission originally planned for two years, but has been in operation for more than 21 years. Its uniqueness lies in its combination of three instruments and the ability to quickly direct the spacecraft towards sudden, short-lived events.
When BAT detects a gamma-ray burst, Swift can calculate its location, turn toward it, and observe the afterglow.X-rays, in ultraviolet and visible light. At the same time, it broadcasts a warning to other observatories in space and on Earth. The rapid response is especially important because such events can fade before slower telescopes have time to tune in to them.
During his years of activity, Swift contributed to the study of Gamma ray bursts, supernovae, black holes, neutron stars, and other transient events. Therefore, the current problem is not a scientific failure of the instruments, but an engineering limitation of the spacecraft and its orbit.
Why does the trajectory continue to lower?
Even at hundreds of kilometers, few molecules of Earth's atmosphere remain. The constant impact with them creates drag, draining energy from orbit and causing satellites to gradually lower. Satellites equipped with engines can make occasional orbit corrections, but Swift has no propulsion system capable of raising it.
Solar activity The increase has exacerbated the problem. As the sun becomes more active, the upper atmosphere heats up and expands to higher altitudes. The density around Swift's orbit increases, the drag increases, and the rate of altitude loss increases beyond earlier predictions.
The rescue plan became a technological experiment
In September 2025, NASA contracted with the company Katalyst Space Technologies To develop the LINK service spacecraft within a year. The plan was ambitious: LINK was supposed to approach Swift, capture it using robotic arms, and raise its orbit.
LINK launched in July aboard a Northrop Grumman Pegasus rocket, but later that month problems were discovered with its direction control. On August 19, NASA and Katalyst announced that the spacecraft would no longer attempt to capture and boost Swift.
The mission has not been completely aborted. LINK is still scheduled to approach the observatory and perform proximity maneuvers, which will be used to test future technologies for rendezvous, inspection, repair, refueling, and servicing satellites in orbit. But the main and urgent goal — extending Swift's life — has been sidelined.
Race against atmospheric drag
Before the boost was canceled, NASA estimated that the low-drag operating mode would keep Swift above an altitude of at least 300 kilometers until October. This is an important threshold: below it, operating the observatory becomes more difficult, and at the same time, drag increases and the rate of descent accelerates.
Now, after resuming observations and exiting the most stringent conservation configuration, the mission team estimates that Swift will reach this threshold within one to two months. NASA did not provide an exact date for atmospheric entry in the update. The date depends, among other things, on solar activity, the density of the upper atmosphere, and how the spacecraft is operated.
This is a NASA operational update, not a publication of new research. The main news is the decision to return the instruments to work after the possibility of raising the orbit was canceled — and to take advantage of the last months of operation of an observatory that far exceeded its planned lifespan.
Questions and Answers
Has the Swift Space Telescope broken down?
No. Two of its three scientific instruments are working again, and NASA is working to bring the third instrument back. The main problem is a loss of altitude in orbit, not a malfunction in the telescopes themselves.
Why did NASA put it back into operation if it increases drag?
The preservation mode was intended to buy time until LINK could be re-orbited. After the re-orbit was canceled, NASA decided to collect scientific data in the remaining time rather than prolonged preservation without a viable rescue plan.
Did LINK fail completely?
It failed in its primary mission of capturing Swift and raising its orbit. However, NASA and Katalyst intend to use it for proximity maneuvers and to demonstrate technologies that may be used to service other satellites in the future.
When will Swift enter the atmosphere?
The official update does not give an exact date. NASA estimates that the observatory will descend below an altitude of 300 kilometers within one to two months; below this threshold, operations become more difficult and the descent is expected to accelerate.
The scientific article
No new scientific article has been published: the news is based on an operational decision and an official NASA update.
More on the subject on the science website
- Swift Space Telescope Rescue Mission Fails; It Is Expected to Burn Up in the Atmosphere
- This week: In-orbit rescue operation — robotic satellite will try to prevent the fall of the Swift telescope
- NASA Examines Technology Demonstration to Raise Swift Space Telescope Orbit
- Swift is ready to detect gamma ray bursts
- The Swift space telescope recorded the most distant gamma-ray burst
For the original publication: NASA Science — NASA's Swift Restarts Science Observations
