NASA’s Swift telescope is back, but time is running out

After plans to boost NASA's Swift telescope into a higher orbit were scaled back, the spacecraft's two science instruments have been reactivated, though the third remains offline. The Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope and X-ray Telescope, which had been shut down in February to reduce atmospheric drag, were switched back on August 26. Swift's third instrument, the Burst Alert Telescope, has not yet resumed data collection but is expected to be operational within the next few weeks.

Swift's low Earth orbit poses a challenge due to the planet's thin upper atmosphere, which creates drag on spacecraft and gradually reduces their altitude. The recent expansion of Earth's upper atmosphere due to heightened solar activity has accelerated this process. NASA attempted to address this by contracting Katalyst Space to develop a spacecraft called LINK, which would capture and raise Swift to a higher orbit. However, LINK failed to launch successfully in July and is no longer pursuing the orbital boost mission.

Despite the setback, Swift has resumed scientific observations and is expected to reach an altitude of 185 miles (300 kilometers) within the next one to two months. This altitude is significant as any drop below this threshold makes operating the telescope more difficult due to increased atmospheric drag. Until then, Swift will continue its mission, studying the universe across multiple wavelengths and providing rapid alerts to other observatories for sudden cosmic events.