NASA is racing to save an aging space telescope before it burns up in Earth’s atmosphere. To do that, the space agency recently limited the mission’s operations in orbit to keep it from moving around.

NASA suspended most science operations at the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory on Wednesday in an effort to reduce the effects of atmospheric drag on the spacecraft and slow its orbital decay, the space agency said. Office has partnered. Swift is due for an orbit boost, with a mission planned for later this summer set to raise it to a higher altitude. In the meantime, NASA is working to prevent Swift from dropping more.

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Swift was launched into low-Earth orbit on a Delta 7320 rocket on November 20, 2004. The satellite was designed to study the most powerful explosions in the universe, known as gamma-ray bursts. It does this using three on-board telescopes, which collect data in visible, ultraviolet, X-ray, and gamma-ray light.

To keep the spacecraft in an orientation that minimizes the effects of drag, NASA has restricted some of Swift’s science activities. “Typically, Swift turns quickly to look at its targets — especially the transient, almost daily bursts called gamma-ray bursts — with multiple telescopes,” said S. Bradley Cenko, the mission’s principal investigator at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, in a statement. “Swift’s Burst Alert Telescope will continue to detect gamma-ray bursts, but the spacecraft will no longer kill observing targets with its other telescopes.”

Slow decay

In the two decades since it was launched, the Swift has gradually lost ground. This happens to all satellites over time. Due to recent spikes in solar activity, however, Swift experienced more atmospheric drag than originally expected. At the current rate, the observatory has a 50% chance of uncontrolled re-entry by mid-2026.

To prevent Swift from being dragged low enough to hit Earth’s atmosphere, NASA tapped an Arizona-based startup to launch a rescue mission. Last year, NASA awarded Katalyst Space Technologies $30 million to build a spacecraft designed to boost Swift’s orbit.

With a June launch deadline, LINK is designed to rendezvous with Swift and propel the spacecraft into a more stable orbit, thus extending its life. To maximize the success of the rescue mission, Swift’s average altitude should be above about 185 miles (300 kilometers), according to NASA. By early February, the spacecraft’s average altitude had dropped below about 250 miles (400 kilometers).

By halting Swift’s science operations, NASA hopes to slow the spacecraft’s descent long enough to bring it to a higher altitude. “We’re transitioning operations now to give it the best margin we can,” Cenko said.