# NASA's Rescue Mission to Save Falling Swift Telescope Grounded by Last-Minute Glitch

*2026-07-03 22:02 UTC · Science · 1 min read*

> NASA's Pegasus-rocket mission to boost the decaying Swift telescope was aborted at the last second after a software warning, delaying the $30 million salvage before an October reentry deadline.

NASA's mission to save its aging Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory from crashing back to Earth hit a last-minute snag on July 2, 2026. Shortly after the Northrop Grumman L-1011 carrier aircraft took off from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, engineers spotted a warning in the data stream and aborted release of the Pegasus XL rocket carrying the rescue spacecraft, following an earlier weather delay.

The rescue payload, a three-armed robotic servicing spacecraft built by Katalyst Space Technologies under a $30 million NASA contract, is designed to dock with Swift and boost its decaying orbit. NASA paused the telescope's science operations earlier this year to conserve altitude, and without the mission Swift is projected to reenter the atmosphere by October.

Launched in 2004, Swift has detected thousands of gamma-ray bursts and exploding stars, making it one of astronomy's most prolific instruments. The flight will also mark the final launch of the historic Pegasus rocket program. NASA says a new launch date will be set once data from Thursday's aborted attempt is reviewed.

## Sources

- [science.nasa.gov](https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/swift/2026/07/02/launch-of-swift-boost-mission-delayed-teams-reviewing-data/)
- [newsbytesapp.com](https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/science/how-a-last-minute-glitch-grounded-nasa-s-telescope-rescue-mission/story)
- [space.com](https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/nasa-to-launch-ambitious-mission-to-save-a-space-telescope-from-burning-up-in-earths-atmosphere)

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TechTools News · https://techtools.cz/tools/news/article/1941-nasa-s-rescue-mission-to-save-falling-swift-telescope-grounded-by-last-minute
Česká verze: https://techtools.cz/tools/news/clanek/2014-poruchu-na-posledni-chvili-zhatila-zachrannou-misi-nasa-pro-padajici-teleskop