NASA Calls Off Rescue Mission for Swift Space Telescope

The mission to rescue NASA's Swift Observatory was officially called off on Wednesday, sealing the telescope's fate to reenter the Earth's atmosphere later this year.

NASA and Katalyst Space Technologies made the announcement following complications with the Link spacecraft, which had been launched to assist the telescope. Katalyst determined that Link would not be able to capture Swift and elevate it to a higher orbit due to control issues. The telescope, which has been operational for over two decades, is expected to meet its end after tracking significant cosmic events, including gamma-ray bursts.

NASA invested $30 million in the effort to restore Swift to a safer orbit, but intense solar activity accelerated its descent. Although flight controllers managed to stabilize Link after it began spinning uncontrollably, ongoing problems hindered its performance. Katalyst will continue to operate Link near Swift to gather data for future rescue missions. Swift's instruments were turned off earlier this year to prolong its operational life, and it was orbiting at 214 miles high as of the announcement.