Announcement

NASA's Swift Observatory Ends Nearly 22-Year Science Mission After Exceeding Planned Lifespan

NASA says Swift ended its science mission while orbiting less than 171 miles above Earth, far beyond its two-year design.

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Composite image using observations from infrared, visible, and ultraviolet wavelengths of the area around the Jellyfish Nebula. The ultraviolet observation is taken by Swift and shown in violet. On a mottled reddish background speckled with stars, a yellow haze of gas at center left traces out a dome-shaped structure from which curving tendrils extend toward the lower right. Blue and red filaments trace a ring around the dome’s base. A violet arc stretches right to left just above the center of the image, and irregular orange gas clouds become thicker toward the upper left.

TLDR

NASA says Swift, designed to last two years, has ended science operations more than two decades later. A post sharing NASA's announcement says the observatory caught 2,000-plus gamma-ray bursts and 1,400-plus supernovas and contributed to roughly 7,000 papers. The post said re-entry was expected within weeks of October 24, 2026.

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NASA's Swift Observatory Ends Nearly 22-Year Science Mission After Exceeding Planned Lifespan

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