Space Telescope Falls Toward Earth as NASA Launches Rescue Mission

NASA is preparing an extraordinary space mission to save the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory after the satellite began losing altitude at a worrying pace in its orbit around Earth. 

The agency estimates a 90% likelihood that the telescope will reenter the atmosphere in an uncontrolled descent by the end of 2026, a scenario that would terminate one of the most valuable tools for studying the universe’s most violent gamma-ray bursts.

The rescue mission is designed to extend the telescope’s operational life and allow it to continue monitoring cosmic explosions that serve as key indicators of black hole formation and other high-energy astrophysical events. 

According to reports cited by the Kazinform news agency, NASA has awarded a $30 million contract to an Arizona-based startup named Catalyst Space Technologies to develop a new spacecraft called Link, which will rendezvous with Swift and push it into a higher and more stable orbit.

The spacecraft is scheduled for launch in less than eight months with a final deadline of June 2026, and in an unconventional approach, the mission will begin with the vehicle being dropped from an aircraft before igniting its rocket engine to reach orbit.

The Swift telescope, launched in 2004, has experienced a steady decline in altitude over the past two decades, a common occurrence among satellites, but intensified solar activity in recent years has increased atmospheric drag and accelerated its fall. 

Catalyst estimates a 50% chance that the observatory could reenter the atmosphere uncontrollably by mid-2026 and a 90% chance by the end of that year. Although the spacecraft would burn up completely on reentry and pose no danger to people or property, NASA is determined to preserve its scientific capabilities.

The telescope maintains an orbital inclination of 20.6 degrees to avoid the South Atlantic Anomaly, a weak spot in Earth’s magnetic field that exposes satellites to heavier radiation. This unusual orbital path requires significant fuel to reach from any ground-based launch site, making the rescue mission more complex but also more urgent.

Kazinform also reported that NASA has set a date for the first crewed lunar mission in 50 years, reflecting renewed momentum in space exploration and the growing focus on protecting Earth-orbiting scientific assets as activity in space expands rapidly.