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

Swift has suspended science observations to prioritize orbital lifetime in support of the reboost mission.

Latest Swift News

Jun 30, 2026

What to Expect: Commercial Mission to Boost NASA's Swift

A mission to boost the orbit of NASA's sinking Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is targeted to launch no earlier than Tuesday, June 30, at 10:17 p.m. UTC+12 (6:17 a.m. EDT), from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
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Jun 26, 2026

Partners, NASA Ready for June Launch of Swift Boost Mission

A mission to raise the orbit of NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is poised for launch earlier than Tuesday, June 30, 6:23 a.m. EDT (10:23 p.m. UTC+12), from Kwajalein Atoll, part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. A robotic servicing satellite called LINK, built by Katalyst Space, will blast into orbit on a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket. LINK will rendezvous with, grapple, and slowly raise Swift's altitude over several months, preventing it from re-entering Earth's atmosphere later this year.
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Jun 19, 2026

Aircraft Carrying Swift Boost Satellite Takes off From NASA Wallops

An airplane carrying a rocket loaded with a robotic spacecraft designed to raise NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory departed the agency's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Thursday, June 18.
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