NASA reported that the Swift space gamma-ray observatory (“Swift”) was put into safe mode and will not participate in observations for a while due to the malfunction of one of the gyroscopes. The telescope will celebrate its 20th anniversary in space in 8 months, and it’s no surprise that it’s starting to reject things. Technically, it’s capable of targeting even with one of three working gyroscopes, but its software wasn’t ready for that for some reason.

NASA has prepared a software patch to update the observatory’s firmware. During the update and further testing, the telescope is put into safe mode. After installing the patch, checking its functionality and restoring the functions of the guidance system, the observatory will be able to aim at the target with the help of the remaining two gyroscopes, and the telescope will continue to serve science.

The observatory was launched into space on November 20, 2004. This is a joint project of the USA, Italy and England. To more accurately determine the source of gamma radiation, the observatory can also record radiation in the X-ray and ultraviolet ranges. Initially, the telescope was supposed to determine the directions of high-energy cosmic events (collapse of stars, mergers of neutron stars, birth of black holes and others). The data was then transmitted to Earth and other telescopes, from optical to radio. The collaborative study aimed to determine the connection of the explosion to an object or event in the sky.

Swift Observatory also made a significant contribution to the detection and study of the gamma-ray burst GRB 221009A, which received the personal name BOAT (Brightest of all time) or “brightest of all time” in Russian due to its extraordinary brightness. “. The brightness of the event exceeded the maximum sensitivity of the upper limit of Swift’s detectors by a factor of five, and their data also helped reconstruct possible features of the event. We expect the observatory to return to normal.