Swift resumes work as its end approaches
The space telescope is once again studying cosmic outbursts, despite the failure of a mission to raise its orbit.
NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory has begun scientific observations again. The telescope has no direct successor in the same orbit and is expected to re-enter the atmosphere later this year.
Swift was launched in 2004 to detect gamma-ray bursts: extremely short and powerful outbursts of gamma radiation. The telescope combines a gamma-ray detector with instruments for X-rays, ultraviolet light and visible light. This allows researchers to determine within a short time where an outburst originated and follow its afterglow.
Swift’s low orbit has declined more rapidly in recent years because of increased solar activity. As a result, the observatory experiences more friction from the thin atmosphere. NASA previously switched off instruments and positioned the solar panels and equipment so that the telescope could remain in a stable state for longer.
A commercial rescue mission was intended to move Swift into a higher orbit. However, Katalyst Space Technologies’ Link spacecraft was unable to safely grasp the telescope because of control problems. NASA and the company decided not to carry out the planned orbit-raising manoeuvre.
After that mission failed, NASA resumed observations in August with the X-ray telescope and the ultraviolet-optical telescope. The Burst Alert Telescope, which automatically detects gamma-ray bursts, remained switched off to conserve energy and orbital altitude. As a result, Swift can no longer operate fully as it did at the beginning of its mission.
For more than twenty years, the telescope has tracked thousands of gamma-ray bursts and other changing celestial phenomena. Swift’s rapid alerts made it possible for telescopes on Earth and in other orbits to observe almost immediately the same phenomenon. This yielded information about, among other things, exploding stars and collisions between compact stars.
NASA expects Swift to re-enter the atmosphere sometime between October and the end of 2026, depending on solar activity. The exact date and location are uncertain. The remaining observations are therefore particularly valuable as the final measurement series from an observatory that played an important role in time-domain astronomy.
Swift’s end does not mean the end of research into gamma-ray bursts. Other telescopes will continue to monitor the sky, but Swift was distinctive because of its combination of rapid detection and multiple wavelengths. The mission also shows that in-orbit maintenance is becoming increasingly important as satellites remain operational for longer.
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The technical condition and mission history were checked directly with NASA and independently supplemented with AP. Uncertain future information has been phrased as an expectation.
- confirmed Swift resumed observations with two of its three scientific instruments. — NASA reports the restart of the X-ray and ultraviolet-optical instruments. source
- confirmed The commercial rescue mission was unable to move Swift into a higher orbit. — AP describes the cancellation of the attempt because of problems with Link’s control system. source
- confirmed Swift studies gamma-ray bursts with instruments covering multiple wavelengths. — NASA describes the mission and its three instruments. source
Editor's note
NASA confirms that two instruments are observing again and that the rescue mission is not going ahead. The date of re-entry into the atmosphere remains an expectation and depends on solar activity.Sources
- NASA’s Swift Restarts Science Observations — NASA Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory
- Rescue mission is called off for NASA’s aging Swift space telescope — Associated Press
- Swift’s Science — NASA Science
More on this in Dutch media
- RTL Nieuws — „swift gammabursts”
- NOS — „swift gammabursts”
- Het Parool — „swift gammabursts”