NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory Resumes Full Instrument Operations and Automated Slewing

NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory has resumed operations with its third science instrument, the Burst Alert Telescope, and restarted automated slewing to observe high-energy cosmic flashes. Flight operations teams confirmed the instrument was calibrated and actively detecting gamma rays on Sept. 18, following the mission's initial return to data collection in August.

The restoration of standard operations follows the scaling back of a commercial mission that was previously intended to boost the satellite to a higher altitude. Operators had halted the Burst Alert Telescope in April to lower power consumption, allowing the spacecraft's solar panels to orient in ways that minimized drag and prolonged its orbital lifespan.

Under normal conditions, flight controllers at Penn State in University Park send daily observation schedules to the spacecraft. However, the Burst Alert Telescope is built to autonomously interrupt those schedules and repoint Swift's Ultraviolet/Optical and X-ray telescopes whenever it detects gamma-ray flares. The operations team reinstated this automated pointing capability on Sept. 21.

Previously, the team modified observations to counteract orbital decay. In December 2025, approximately 25% of targeted science points were substituted for positions that reduced drag, a strategy fully adopted by February that eliminated automated detection slewing.

NASA noted that the return to standard science activities has resumed the spacecraft's rapid descent. Swift is currently orbiting at approximately 200 miles (325 kilometers) above Earth. Spacecraft operations are expected to face increased difficulty and science operations will likely halt below an altitude of 185 miles (300 kilometers), a threshold the mission team projects the satellite will hit in early to mid-October.

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