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Why did the Swift satellite fall out of orbit?

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NASA ended the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory mission on October 23, 2026, because strong solar storms in 2024 had increased drag on the satellite. The storms puffed up Earth’s atmosphere, and the added drag meant Swift was predicted to re-enter the atmosphere in 2026. NASA hired Katalyst Space in 2025 to try to raise Swift’s orbit with the LINK satellite, but that rescue mission was unsuccessful.