NASA is trying to prevent the Swift telescope from crashing into Earth

The mission is costing around $30 million. NASA has contracted Katalyst Space Technologies to send its LINK spacecraft to catch up with Swift, grab it with robotic arms and move it into a safer orbit. The launch is scheduled for no earlier than 30 June 2026, using a Pegasus XL rocket.

Details

Swift was launched in 2004. It was originally intended to operate for around two years, but has since become one of NASA’s most valuable space instruments. Its mission is to rapidly detect and study bursts in the Universe: gamma-ray bursts, stellar explosions and other brief but significant astronomical events. NASA refers to Swift as an ‘astrophysical multi-tool’ because it observes space across several wavelength ranges at once — from visible and ultraviolet light to X-rays and gamma rays.

The problem is that Swift is in low Earth orbit. Traces of Earth’s atmosphere are still present there, and they are gradually slowing the satellite down. Due to increased solar activity, the upper layers of the atmosphere have expanded, drag has increased, and Swift has begun to lose altitude more rapidly.

To slow its descent, NASA has already switched off Swift’s scientific instruments. Observations ceased in February 2026. This bought the team a little time, but did not solve the problem entirely.

How it will be rescued

The LINK spacecraft, built by Katalyst Space, will be sent to Swift. It is a small robotic spacecraft with three arms. Each arm is equipped with grippers designed to latch onto Swift’s structure.

After launch, LINK is expected to reach the telescope in about a month. Then the most challenging part will begin: the spacecraft must carefully approach Swift, capture it and, over the course of several months, raise its orbit from approximately 360 km to 600 km.

There is a deadline for the rescue mission. It is estimated that the operation must take place before Swift drops below approximately 300 km. This altitude could be reached in autumn 2026, so NASA is effectively racing against time.

Why it’s difficult

Swift was never designed for this sort of repair. It was not intended for a robot to fly up to it decades later, grab it with its arms and raise it higher. That is why the mission is risky: the spacecraft must not only be caught up with, but this must be done in such a way as to avoid damaging the telescope or making the situation worse.

According to the AP, NASA awarded a contract to Katalyst in September 2025 with two key requirements: to act quickly and not to damage Swift. NASA representatives acknowledge that, until recently, many doubted that such a mission could even be prepared in such a short time.

If the operation is successful, Swift could resume its scientific work as early as 2026 and continue to observe cosmic explosions.

Why is NASA so keen to keep its old telescope?

Swift’s importance lies not in its age, but in its response time. It is designed to quickly reorient itself towards new cosmic events. When a powerful burst occurs in the Universe, time is of the essence: such events can fade quickly, and the telescope must be able to observe them almost immediately.

This is precisely why Swift is known as the space ‘first responder’. It helps other observatories understand where to look and complements the data from larger telescopes. If Swift were lost, NASA would lose a tool that would be difficult to replace quickly.

According to NASA management, the agency currently lacks the budget to simply build a new Swift to replace the old one. It is therefore cheaper and quicker to try to salvage the existing spacecraft.

What does Hubble have to do with it?

If the Swift operation is successful, similar technologies could be used for other ageing spacecraft. Among other things, the possibility of a future orbital lift for the Hubble Space Telescope – which is also gradually losing altitude – is being discussed.

However, this does not yet mean that Hubble will definitely be rescued in the same way. Swift will serve as a test: can a commercial robot safely approach a valuable scientific instrument, capture it and extend its lifespan?

If the mission is successful, it could pave the way for a new practice: satellites and telescopes in orbit would not simply be decommissioned once they age, but would be serviced, refuelled, repaired or raised to a higher orbit.

Why this is important

There are currently many expensive satellites, telescopes and scientific instruments operating in space. Some of them are losing altitude, ageing or failing, not because they are completely useless, but because they are running out of orbital life, fuel or equipment.

The LINK mission to Swift could prove that some of these spacecraft can be salvaged directly in space. This is important not only for NASA, but for the entire orbital infrastructure: communications, navigation, Earth observation and scientific missions — all of these depend on technology that, for the time being, is often cheaper to lose than to maintain.

Swift represents the first major test in this endeavour. If the robot succeeds, space repairs could become a routine service rather than a rare experiment.

Source

Key data: NASA, the Swift Boost mission, and an Associated Press report on the preparations for the rescue operation.