The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory

The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory

Swift satellite artists conception Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most powerful explosions the Universe has seen since the Big Bang. They occur approximately once per day and are brief, but intense, flashes of gamma radiation. They come from all different directions of the sky and last from a few milliseconds to a few hundred seconds. So far scientists do not know what causes them. Do they signal the birth of a black hole in a massive stellar explosion? Are they the product of the collision of two neutron stars? Or is it some other exotic phenomenon that causes these bursts?

With Swift, a NASA mission with international participation, scientists have a tool dedicated to answering these questions and solving the gamma-ray burst mystery. Its three instruments give scientists the ability to scrutinize gamma-ray bursts like never before. Within seconds of detecting a burst, Swift relays its location to ground stations, allowing both ground-based and space-based telescopes around the world the opportunity to observe the burst's afterglow. Swift is part of NASA's medium explorer (MIDEX) program and was launched into a low-Earth orbit on a Delta 7320 rocket on November 20, 2004. The Principal Investigator is Dr. Brad Cenko (NASA-GSFC).

NASA's Swift Studies Gas-Churning Monster Black Holes
NASA's Swift Studies Gas-Churning Monster Black Holes
Scientists using observations from NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory have discovered, for the first time, the signal from a pair of monster black holes disrupting a cloud of gas in the center of a galaxy.

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Swift's 20th Anniversary
Swift's 20th Anniversary

Swift Operations Status

Following the safe hold on 1/28, Swift has resumed nominal pre-planned science observations with the XRT and UVOT, and ToO uploads are enabled. BAT is in the process of being brought online.

Latest Swift News

Swift Mission Transitions Ops to Prep for Orbit Boost

Feb 11, 2026

NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory temporarily suspended most science operations in an effort to reduce atmospheric drag and slow the spacecraft's orbital decay. Halting these activities will enable controllers to keep the spacecraft in an orientation that minimizes drag effects, extending its time in orbit in anticipation of a reboost mission.
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NASA Awards Company to Attempt Swift Spacecraft Orbit Boost

Sep 24, 2025

Driving rapid innovation in the American space industry, NASA has awarded Katalyst Space Technologies of Flagstaff, Arizona, a contract to raise a spacecraft's orbit. Katalyst's robotic servicing spacecraft will rendezvous with NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory and raise it to a higher altitude, demonstrating a key capability for the future of space exploration and extending the Swift mission's science lifetime.
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NASA Explores Industry Possibilities to Raise Swift Mission's Orbit

Aug 11, 2025

To drive the development of key space-based capabilities for the United States, NASA is exploring an opportunity to demonstrate technology to raise a spacecraft's orbit to a higher altitude. Two American companies - Cambrian Works of Reston, Virginia, and Katalyst Space Technologies of Flagstaff, Arizona - will develop concept design studies for a possible orbit boost for the agency's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory.
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