# Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory

Type: Product

Source: Space & Defense Intelligence Brief — https://getspacebrief.com/entity/neil-gehrels-swift-observatory-product
Canonical HTML page: https://getspacebrief.com/entity/neil-gehrels-swift-observatory-product

## Timeline

- **2026-10**: Swift reentry expected no earlier than October — NASA says the observatory will plunge through the atmosphere after more than 20 years, with loss not expected before October 2026.
- **2026-08-19**: Rescue mission called off — NASA and Katalyst announce ongoing attitude control issues prevent Link from capturing Swift.
- **2026-07-03**: Link rescue satellite launches — Katalyst Space Technologies launches the Link spacecraft on a mission to capture and boost Swift's orbit.
- **2026**: Swift science instruments turned off — NASA powers down Swift's science instruments earlier in 2026 to slow orbital descent caused by intense solar activity.
- **2004**: Swift Observatory launched — NASA launches the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to study gamma-ray bursts and exploding stars.

## Recent coverage (1 stories)

### NASA Ends $30M Swift Rescue as Link Attitude Control Fails
2026-08-20 03:08:00 · Sentiment: Neutral · Impact: 5/10 · Sources: 2

NASA and Katalyst Space Technologies called off the Link rescue of the long-serving Swift gamma-ray observatory on Aug. 19 after ongoing attitude control issues made capture and orbit-raising impossible. The telescope will reenter no earlier than October, but Link will continue proximity operations to validate close-in navigation for future on-orbit servicing missions.
Full story: https://getspacebrief.com/story/nasa-30m-swift-rescue-link-attitude-control-failure

---
This page is a machine-readable summary. Sentiment measures the directional read of each development for this entity, not the tone of the reporting; impact weights consequence, not syndication reach. See https://getspacebrief.com/guides/methodology for the full editorial methodology.