The highly anticipated rescue mission to save NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory has officially launched.
For over two decades, the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory has been the backbone of time-domain and multi-messenger astrophysics. With its unique ability to autonomously slew and point its X-ray and UV/Optical telescopes within seconds of detecting a gamma-ray burst, Swift provides the rapid alerts and early-time light curves that many observatories and platforms like Astro-COLIBRI rely on. From hunting gravitational wave counterparts to tracking supernovae and tidal disruption events, the global astronomical community heavily depends on Swift’s rapid-response capabilities to trigger ground-, and space-based follow-ups.
Heightened solar activity over the last year increased atmospheric drag, causing Swift’s orbit to decay faster than anticipated. Because Swift lacks its own propulsion system to maintain altitude, this rescue mission was scrambled in record time (less than a year) to save the space telescope.
Today, Friday, July 3, 2026, at 8:36 p.m. Marshall Islands Time, Northrop Grumman’s Stargazer aircraft deployed a Pegasus XL rocket over the Kwajalein Atoll in the South Pacific. The rocket successfully delivered LINK, a robotic servicing spacecraft built by Katalyst Space, into low Earth orbit.
Once fully operational, LINK will rendezvous with Swift, try to grab hold of it, and lift the observatory to a higher, safer orbit. This would ensure that our primary eye for rapid gamma-ray burst (GRB) alerts and multi-wavelength follow-ups stays alive and kicking for years to come.
For live updates, check out the official NASA blog: Mission To Boost NASA's Swift Launches From Marshall Islands - NASA Science