NASA is preparing the Nasa Swift Telescope Rescue Mission for a June launch to keep Swift Observatory from uncontrolled reentry. The spacecraft, launched in 2004, has spent more than two decades in Earth orbit studying gamma-ray bursts with three telescopes.
S. Bradley Cenko, Swift principal investigator at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, said, "Swift has been a key player in NASA’s efforts to understand how the universe works, and we’re looking forward to getting back to that work after the boost is complete." NASA says the boost could extend the observatory’s life for several more years and avoid the need to spend more money to replace it.
Swift and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Swift’s main job has been to watch gamma-ray bursts, using telescopes that collect visible, ultraviolet, X-ray and gamma-ray light. It now sits in low-Earth orbit near the atmosphere, where the International Space Station also resides, and NASA says it has been falling faster than anticipated since fall 2024 because of increased solar storms.
Katalyst Space, based in Flagstaff, Arizona, was awarded a $30 million contract in September 2025 to build LINK for the rescue attempt. LINK is 880 pounds and 5 feet tall, and the plan is for the commercial spacecraft to make the first capture of a government satellite that was never meant to be serviced in space.
Katalyst Space and LINK
The mission is unusual because NASA could let Swift burn up in the atmosphere, but instead it is trying to save the telescope before that happens. Katalyst says Swift has a 50% chance of making an uncontrolled reentry by mid-2026 without intervention, with the odds rising to 90% by the end of 2026.
The June launch is the next step, and the exact date has not been set in the facts provided. If LINK reaches Swift as planned, the mission would test a robotic capture capability NASA says could be used on future missions, while sending Swift back to work after the boost is complete.
June launch of Swift boost mission
The immediate question for the mission is the launch date in June. Until then, the telescope remains in low-Earth orbit with its orbit decay still the problem NASA is trying to stop.
