The company said the effort is intended to extend the life of the observatory. It also said the mission could support future scientific work beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
Swift’s orbital decay requires an urgent launch before atmospheric drag makes recovery impossible. Northrop Grumman said Pegasus was deemed the only system able to meet all orbit, timeline and budget requirements.
Pegasus is released in midair from an L-1011 carrier aircraft and delivers payloads to low Earth orbit. The company said this air-launched design provides flexibility and speed that many other rockets cannot match.
Northrop Grumman said Pegasus is one of the few viable rockets able to reach Swift in time. The rocket is scheduled to launch from Kwajalein Atoll for this mission to reach Swift’s unique low-inclination orbit.
Pegasus has conducted more than 45 launches since 1990. Northrop Grumman said its ability to be assembled, tested and launched worldwide demonstrates its adaptability.
“Pegasus has been instrumental in launching science satellites over the years, and doing this as a rapid response mission from Kwajalein Atoll truly highlights what Pegasus can do: quick assembly, testing, and global repositioning,” said Steve Hollo, chief engineer of Pegasus. “The latest mission features a complete avionics upgrade to modernize the rocket while carrying forward decades of technological heritage. Plus, not being tied to a single launch site gives us incredible flexibility and responsiveness that few other vehicles can match.”
Hollo joined the Pegasus program in 1998. Northrop Grumman said its history with Pegasus reflects deep technical stewardship of the world’s first privately developed space launch vehicle.
Swift was built at Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert, Arizona. It was launched in 2004 to study gamma-ray bursts, which the company described as among the brightest and most energetic explosions in the universe.
“Swift was designed to observe gamma ray bursts that are so fleeting no previous telescope could catch them in the act. Swift detects gamma ray bursts over a large part of the sky, and then rapidly (swiftly) re-orients to point powerful X-ray and ultraviolet telescopes to observe the fading afterglow of the explosions,” said John Jordan, Swift’s original chief engineer.
Northrop Grumman said Swift has detected more than 1,700 bursts to date. The mission has also helped scientists discover that one class of gamma-ray bursts is caused by merging neutron stars forming black holes.
Swift was originally intended for a two-year mission. Northrop Grumman said it has remained operational for more than two decades and that the company has continued to support its on-orbit sustainment.
“Its longevity isn’t luck. It’s the result of solid engineering, in-house built redundant avionics and continuous learning from extensive ground testing and real-time operations,” said John. “Working on Swift was a memorable experience: a small, dedicated team working directly with scientists to deliver precisely what NASA needed, and that hands-on approach still shapes how we design missions today.”
Northrop Grumman said the combined legacy of Swift and Pegasus supports its work on future space exploration and launch missions. The company said emerging initiatives draw from those missions to develop rapid-response satellite constellations, deep-space observatories and other capabilities.
The upcoming Pegasus launch is described by the company as more than a single mission. Northrop Grumman said it continues an engineering legacy intended to support critical scientific advances beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
