Swift Observatory

Spacecraft· NASAactive

Swift — NASA's gamma-ray-burst hunter (since 2004), which slews within seconds to catch the fleeting afterglows of the universe's most powerful explosions.

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Key facts

Current speed

34.4 km/s

Distance from Sun

1.01 AU

Status

Active

Launched

2004

Mission & specifications

Mission

Operator: NASA
Launched: November 20, 2004
Status: Active

Trajectory

Current speed: 34.4 km/s
Distance from the Sun: 1.01 AU
Distance from Earth: 600,531 km
Distance from Venus: 0.637 AU

Mission

Swift was built to chase the fastest, most fleeting explosions in the universe: gamma-ray bursts. For a few seconds, a gamma-ray burst can outshine everything else in the sky combined — the death cry of a massive star collapsing into a black hole, or the collision of two neutron stars — but it fades within minutes, so catching it demands a telescope that can react almost instantly. Launched in 2004 and later renamed for the astronomer Neil Gehrels, Swift does exactly that. When its wide-field detector senses a burst, the whole spacecraft automatically slews within seconds to point its X-ray and ultraviolet telescopes at the fading afterglow, then radios an alert to observatories around the world so they can join the hunt before the light disappears. In doing so Swift has caught thousands of gamma-ray bursts, including some of the most distant objects ever seen, their light having travelled for over thirteen billion years. It helped open the era of multi-messenger astronomy by pinpointing the afterglow of a neutron-star collision also detected in gravitational waves. Between bursts, its rapid-response agility makes it one of the most versatile observatories in orbit, studying comets, flaring stars and distant galaxies.

2004Launch to low Earth orbitLaunch
NASA's gamma-ray-burst hunter reaches orbit.
2008A burst seen with the naked eyeMilestone
Catches GRB 080319B, briefly visible without a telescope from 7.5 billion light-years away.
2017Neutron-star merger afterglowMilestone
Helps pinpoint GW170817, the first joint gamma-ray and gravitational-wave event.

Images

The Swift gamma-ray-burst observatory before launch — NASA/KSC (public domain) · Wikimedia Commons

A Boeing Delta II expendable launch vehicle stands ready to launch NASA’s Swift spacecraft following tower rollback at Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station — NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration · NASA Image Library

At NASA’s Hangar AE on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), Fla., preparations are underway to enclose the Swift spacecraft in a canister before moving it to the launch pad — NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration · NASA Image Library

A technician at NASA’s Hangar AE, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), prepares the Swift spacecraft to be lifted off its workstand — NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration · NASA Image Library

Clouds of exhaust form around a Boeing Delta II expendable launch vehicle as it blasts NASA's Swift spacecraft on its mission at Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, on Nov — NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration · NASA Image Library

Seen from a distance, NASA's Swift spacecraft lifts off from Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, on Nov — NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration · NASA Image Library

Images from open archives · credit shown per image