2026-07-08
Swift Boost Mission
A fresh look at our universe — Swift Boost Mission. NASA's take:
Why this matters
Behind the picture is deep-space objects, rocket launches. Light that left these objects long ago is only reaching us now, which is why a single image can double as a snapshot of the distant past.
See it live on ObjectTracer
This connects to what you can track in real time on our 3D globe — explore Deep Space galaxy map · Launch tracker. Or open the live globe to watch flights, satellites, the ISS and spacecraft move right now.
The science — from NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day
Sometimes we can all use a little help from a friend. NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory needs a boost to stay in orbit after almost 22 years of service. This video shows an artist's visualization of the Swift Boost Mission: The Katalyst's LINK spacecraft was launched aboard a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket on July 3 and it is now en route to rendezvous with Swift and boost it to a higher orbit over the course of the next several months. This type of maneuver has never been attempted before. If successful, it will be the technology demonstration of a new key capability to extended the lifetime of spacecraft in low Earth orbit, whose orbits decay over time. Swift has an array of instruments that observe the most energetic explosions in the Universe in gamma-rays, X-rays and ultraviolet, and the unique ability to repoint in their direction within tens of seconds. Astronomers around the world, and indeed all fans of cosmic explosions, are anxiously hoping for a successful mission!
Source: NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day (public domain)