NASA's Swift Telescope Rescue Fails
A $30 million private mission to save the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory has ended in failure due to spacecraft issues, with the telescope now expected to dip into Earth's atmosphere by year's end
A private mission to save NASA's Swift space telescope has failed due to issues with the rescue spacecraft, and the telescope is now expected to dip into Earth's atmosphere before the end of the year.
The mission, known as Swift Boost, was a $30 million effort to raise the telescope's orbit using a specialized probe called LINK from Katalyst Space. NASA contracted Katalyst Space for the Swift Boost mission in 2025, with the goal of saving the one-of-a-kind orbital observatory designed to study high-energy phenomena across the universe.
The LINK spacecraft was launched on July 3 on a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket, but began to spin uncontrollably about three weeks after launch. Despite efforts to correct the issue, NASA announced the end of LINK's efforts to boost Swift's orbit on August 19, citing ongoing attitude control issues with the private spacecraft.
Although the mission to save the Swift Observatory has failed, LINK will still attempt a rendezvous with Swift to practice proximity operations and demonstrate its capabilities, which could aid future missions. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated that the mission was worth attempting despite the risks, saying that the agency should be willing to move quickly and take smart risks when the potential return is worth it.
## What happens next The Swift Observatory is expected to dip catastrophically low into Earth's atmosphere before the end of the year, marking the end of its mission. The failure of the Swift Boost mission is a significant loss for NASA, but the agency is emphasizing the importance of taking risks and attempting to save the telescope, even if the outcome was not successful.
## Background The Swift Boost mission was always viewed as a long shot, with increased solar activity already decaying the observatory's orbit faster than anticipated when NASA awarded the contract to Katalyst in 2025. The mission was an attempt to give Swift a chance to carry out more science while advancing capabilities, and although it was not successful, it has provided valuable experience and lessons for future missions.
