Can Nasa save its ageing Swift observatory? Inside the $30-million rescue plan

Nasa is preparing for a first-of-its-kind mission to rescue one of its oldest space telescopes before it falls back to Earth. The agency approved a $30 million mission called Swift Boost that aims to extend the life of the nearly 22-year-old Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, even though the spacecraft has already far outlived its original mission.

The rescue effort sparked an obvious question: Is it worth spending millions to save an ageing telescope launched more than two decades ago? According to Nasa, the answer is yes.

Launched in 2004, Nasa’s Swift Observatory was originally designed as a two-year mission to study gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful explosions in the universe. These bursts are believed to occur when massive stars collapse or when neutron stars collide, releasing enormous amounts of energy within seconds.

Unlike most space telescopes, Swift was built to react quickly. It can automatically detect a gamma-ray burst and point its X-ray and ultraviolet telescopes toward the event within minutes.

That rapid response capability makes Swift unique. Though telescopes like the Hubble or James Webb Space Telescope have much higher image resolution capabilities, they take a long time – from hours to days – to be reoriented.

On the other hand, Swift is the “first responder” for astronomy and allows observing ephemeral events that occur in space.

In the last two decades, Swift has made hundreds of discoveries. Among them is an understanding of how some of the universe’s heaviest elements, such as gold and platinum, were formed in violent cosmic events. In addition, Swift discovered the famous ‘BOAT’ (Brightest Of All Time) gamma-ray burst in 2022. This is the most powerful cosmic event ever recorded.

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Why is Swift falling out of orbit?

Although the observatory orbits hundreds of kilometres above Earth, solar storms have increased atmospheric drag, slowing the spacecraft and causing it to descend faster than expected.

Nasa estimates that without intervention, Swift could fall below a critical altitude by October and eventually burn up in Earth’s atmosphere before the end of the year. Unlike many modern satellites, Swift does not carry propulsion systems to boost its own orbit.

What is $30 million rescue mission?

Nasa hired Arizona-based startup Katalyst Space to carry out the rescue mission using its newly developed servicing spacecraft called Link.

The spacecraft is scheduled to launch on June 30 aboard the final Pegasus XL rocket. After entering orbit, Link will spend several weeks testing its systems before attempting to rendezvous with Swift.

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If everything goes according to plan, Link will use robotic arms to capture the observatory and slowly raise it into a higher orbit over several months. The higher orbit could extend Swift’s operational life by at least five years.

The mission is particularly ambitious because Swift was never designed to be serviced in space. Engineers had to develop the spacecraft, robotic systems and mission plan in less than a year, an unusually short timeline for such a complex operation.

Why does Nasa think Swift is still worth saving?

Nasa says replacing Swift would cost far more than rescuing it. The observatory originally cost about $250 million to build and launch. For roughly one-eighth of that amount, the agency believes it can preserve a telescope that continues to provide scientific capabilities unavailable elsewhere.

Swift remains the only space observatory specifically designed to rapidly detect and follow gamma-ray bursts. Its observations also support many other space telescopes, allowing them to quickly focus on newly discovered cosmic events.

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Nasa officials say losing Swift would leave a significant gap in the agency’s ability to study fast-changing astronomical phenomena.

The risks involved

Link must successfully approach, capture and move a spacecraft that was never intended to be docked with. Any failure during the rendezvous could end the rescue attempt.

However, Nasa points out that the alternative is losing Swift completely. If the mission succeeds, it will become the first demonstration of a commercial spacecraft extending the life of a scientific space observatory through orbital servicing. The technology could eventually be used to repair, refuel, or reposition future satellites instead of replacing them.

Is the rescue worth it?

From Nasa’s perspective, the mission offers a relatively low-cost opportunity to preserve a unique scientific asset while testing technologies that could reshape future satellite operations.

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Even if the rescue fails, Swift would have re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere anyway. If it succeeds, the observatory could continue studying some of the universe’s most dramatic explosions well into the next decade while proving that servicing ageing spacecraft in orbit is both practical and economically viable.

For Nasa, the $30-million investment is about more than saving one telescope; it is also a test of how future space missions might be maintained instead of retired.