NASA’s Swift spacecraft, which has been studying cosmic gamma-ray bursts for over two decades, is set to cease operations by mid-October. The observatory is losing altitude rapidly after its telescope was reactivated in September to attempt a rescue mission. A robotic satellite was supposed to grab Swift with manipulators and boost it to a higher orbit, but the mission failed due to control system malfunctions on the rescue spacecraft. Reactivation for science caused Swift to lose altitude even faster. Currently at 325 km, once it drops below 300 km, control will become too difficult, marking the end of its scientific mission.
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