NASA’s Swift space telescope is reaching the end of its two-decade run in orbit – unless a satellite launched on 3 July can give it a lifesaving boost
NASA’s Swift space telescope is reaching the end of its two-decade run in orbit – unless a satellite launched on 3 July can give it a lifesaving boost
By Leah Crane
3 July 2026
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NASA's Swift Observatory is in peril. A last minute mission to save it could make spaceflight history. Here's everything to know.
NASA is executing an unprecedented, first-of-its-kind rescue mission to save the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, a highly…
The $30 million salvage operation gets underway as soon as this week with the planned launch of a robotic lifesaver.
NASA plans a bold robot mission to rescue the Swift telescope from imminent destruction in Earth's atmosphere.
NASA is racing to save its Swift telescope from falling back to Earth with a daring rescue mission. The salvage effort gets…
Swift has been circling Earth for 21 years. Without a rescue mission assembled in just nine months, it would burn up by October.
