A Satellite Falling Out of Orbit Embarks on Its Final Mission

Before reentering our atmosphere, the telescopes onboard NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory have been restarted to take their last observations. After 21 years in space, NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory will soon return to our atmosphere. NASA has carried out some notable rescue missions over the past few years, including bringing home the astronauts stranded on the International Space Station last year. More recently, the agency sent up a probe in hopes of saving the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, a satellite first launched in 2004 that began falling out of our planet's orbit. The plan was for robotic arms on the probe, known as LINK, to grab onto the aging satellite and--with a powerful set of thrusters--drag the observatory back into position.