NASA has officially canceled its rescue mission for the aging SWIFT space observatory, initially planned to elevate the telescope’s orbit. This decision was made on Wednesday following the revelation that the spacecraft, designed to perform the recovery, suffered from irreparable technical problems while in orbit, according to Katalyst Space, the company responsible for building the recovery craft.
In a statement released by Katalyst Space, it was noted that, after continuous monitoring and assessment of the LINK spacecraft, both Katalyst Space and NASA concluded that ongoing attitude control issues meant the mission “would not include the capture and boost” of the NASA Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory’s orbit.
The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, originally known as the Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Explorer, is a multi-wavelength space telescope launched by NASA on November 20, 2004. It was designed to study gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and other cosmic transient phenomena.
Managed by Penn State University for NASA, the SWIFT mission detects about 100 gamma-ray bursts per year using three instruments: the Burst Alert Telescope (BAT), the X-Ray Telescope (XRT), and the UV/Optical Telescope (UVOT). SWIFT autonomously orients itself towards the explosion locations within 90 seconds, transmitting precise coordinates to ground stations within 20 seconds to facilitate rapid follow-up observations.
Due to orbital decay linked to increased solar activity, SWIFT is facing an imminent uncontrolled re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere by the end of 2026. To address this issue, NASA had contracted Katalyst Space Technologies for a $30 million rescue mission. The LINK spacecraft was launched on July 3, 2026, aboard a Pegasus XL rocket from the Marshall Islands.
LINK is a robotic servicing satellite equipped with three robotic arms and ion thrusters, designed to capture the 1,470 kg SWIFT observatory and transport it to an orbit approximately 600 kilometers above Earth.
