Overview
- NASA and Katalyst called off the planned capture and reboost of the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory on Aug. 19 after the servicer could not guarantee a safe boost to a higher orbit.
- Katalyst’s LINK suffered multiple attitude-control failures in the weeks after its July 3 launch, including problems with reaction wheels and thrusters that forced teams to use main-engine burns to stabilize the vehicle and exhausted fuel needed for a reboost.
- With the capture canceled, NASA now treats Swift as on an uncontrolled reentry path that is not expected before October and whose most likely window currently falls in late November to December 2026 according to mission modeling.
- Agencies expect most of Swift to burn up on reentry but say some dense components—optical elements, tanks and other hardware—could survive and fall anywhere between 21°N and 21°S latitude, with ocean impacts most likely and ground harm unlikely.
- The episode leaves LINK available for planned proximity tests to gather engineering data, highlights the risks of nine-month rushed development, and will shape future commercial servicing plans and policies for managing decaying satellites.