NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory has been studying gamma-ray bursts and other high-energy events since 2004. Its low orbit has been decaying under atmospheric drag, which threatens to end the mission early. To buy it more time, NASA hired a commercial company to send a servicing spacecraft that would attach to Swift and push it higher.
According to NASA, the boost mission has now ended without raising Swift's orbit. The observatory therefore still faces the same risk of re-entering the atmosphere that led to the rescue attempt.
The agency describes the effort as a useful learning exercise and not simply a failure. NASA and the vendor gained practical experience in quickly planning and flying a commercial mission to service a spacecraft that was never built to be serviced. NASA expects these lessons to shape future programs that refuel, repair or relocate satellites in orbit.
