NASA Freezes Swift Telescope to Prevent Burn-Up

NASA has suspended most scientific operations of its aging Swift space telescope in a race against time to prevent the spacecraft from burning up in Earth’s atmosphere.

The decision, announced last Wednesday, aims to slow the telescope’s orbital decay by reducing excessive movement that increases atmospheric drag. The temporary freeze is intended to preserve altitude ahead of a planned summer rescue mission that will raise Swift into a higher, more stable orbit.

Launched in November 2004 aboard a Delta 7320 rocket, Swift has spent two decades studying powerful cosmic explosions known as gamma-ray bursts. Using its three instruments, the telescope has gathered critical data across visible, ultraviolet, X-ray and gamma-ray wavelengths.

Recently intensified solar activity has accelerated atmospheric drag, causing Swift to lose altitude faster than expected. NASA estimates there is a 50 percent chance the telescope could re-enter Earth’s atmosphere in an uncontrolled manner by mid-2026 if no intervention occurs.

To prevent that outcome, NASA awarded a $30 million contract to Arizona-based Katalyst Space Technologies to develop a rescue spacecraft called Link. Scheduled for launch in June, the mission will rendezvous with Swift and boost it to a safer orbit.

“We are transitioning to this operational mode to give Swift the best possible margin to stay in orbit,” said principal investigator Bradley Cenko.