NASA ends Swift’s mission as reentry is forecast

NASA ended the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory’s science mission after its final observation on October 20, 2026, at an altitude of 171 miles (275 kilometers). A reentry forecast reported on November 1 expected Swift to return to Earth’s atmosphere within days; that was a prediction, not a reported reentry event.

Why NASA ended Swift’s science operations

At 171 miles (275 kilometers), increased atmospheric drag kept Swift from steadily pointing its telescopes at targets. The observatory entered safe mode, and the Penn State operations team commanded the end of operations after the final observation. NASA announced the mission’s end on October 23. (NASA’s mission update; NASA’s Swift mission blog)

On November 1, Space.com reported that Swift’s reentry was expected within days. NASA’s October 23 forecast had placed it within the following weeks. The observatory launched on November 20, 2004, and NASA designed its primary mission to last two years.

What happened to the LINK servicing mission

NASA and Katalyst Space Technologies ended LINK’s planned capture-and-boost effort in August without attempting to capture or raise Swift’s orbit. NASA’s mission account says Swift’s science observations continued after that plan was scaled back, before the October 20 final observation.

Space.com reported that propulsion and reaction-wheel problems affected LINK’s orientation. The spacecraft later came within 7.5–9.3 miles (12–15 kilometers) of Swift without capturing it, then reentered Earth’s atmosphere on September 25, 2026. LINK’s reported reentry was separate from the forecast return of Swift.

The science and archive Swift leaves behind

NASA reports that Swift observed more than 2,000 gamma-ray bursts and more than 1,400 supernovae. Its data contributed to about 7,000 scientific papers. Swift was built to detect and locate gamma-ray bursts, alert other observatories, and turn its telescopes toward the bursts before their afterglows faded. (NASA’s mission summary)

NASA describes Swift’s publicly available archive as about 12 terabytes, including more than 1.5 million ultraviolet and optical images. The spacecraft has stopped observing, but its archive remains a resource for researchers.