NASA Swift Observatory Gets A Reaction Wheel Failure, How Did It Happen?

While the mission team analyzes a problem, NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory has temporarily halted science observations and switched to safe mode.

Engadget said the spacecraft may have experienced a "reaction wheel malfunction," causing its scientific equipment to enter safe mode. As a result, according to the NASA Universe Twitter account, the observatory is still dormant, with all research observations halted.

The Swift Observatory’s science instruments went into safe mode after a possible reaction wheel failure. Pointed science observations are temporarily suspended while the team investigates the issue. The instruments and other 5 wheels remain in good health. https://t.co/6rYTyu6yTg pic.twitter.com/tCkLU7jdSA
— NASA Universe (@NASAUniverse) January 20, 2022

This announcement comes after the first phase of another NASA space exploration program, the James Webb Space Telescope launch, was accomplished. For the time being, the Swift observatory is unavailable until effort can be made in restoring it to full functionality.

How Swift Observatory Ended Up With Reaction Wheel Failure

The reaction wheel failure is described in depth on Space.com and how it has impacted the observatory as a whole. These reaction wheels (there are six on the spacecraft) appear to allow the observatory to orient itself in the direction of gamma-ray bursts to view them.

The scientific equipment went into safe mode because one of the six reaction wheels malfunctioned. The mission team attempts to determine what caused the reaction wheel to fail. They're also seeking to get the research instruments back online, even if just five wheels are working.

us-spaceX-launch-space-aerospace — Painters refurbish the NASA logo on the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in Florida on May 29, 2020. The faded 10-story-tall insignia was last painted 13 years ago. - The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon capsule is rescheduled to launch to the International Space Station on May 30, carrying astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley. GREGG NEWTON/AFP via Getty Images

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According to astronomers, they might result from supernova explosions or collisions between neutron stars, the dense remains of supernovas. Scientists are still trying to figure out these light events; therefore, the spacecraft was deployed to watch and investigate them.

Swift Observatory Explained

Swift may not be as well-known as Webb these days, but it was essential in discovering the first-ever direct picture of a black hole in 2019, which made headlines.

Because of its capacity to detect gamma-ray bursts, it was crucial to the achievement. These bursts, also known as GRBs, are caused by strong radiation emitted by a massive star transforming into a black hole, neutron star, or quark star.

According to NASA, the Swift Observatory was created primarily to investigate the link between GRBs and black holes. Understanding the connection is crucial for planning space research missions and understanding how these events physically affect the cosmos.

Swift uses a three-telescope array to detect these GRBs. These devices work together to identify a GRB promptly. By fast, we mean that it takes just 20 to 75 seconds for the spacecraft to spin around and face the burst, allowing it to see it.

Swift is currently being used to identify other phenomena like solar flares and even hard-to-find stars, despite its original purpose of solely observing GRBs. Losing the spacecraft would not be a major setback for humanity's space exploration aspirations, but keeping it operational would be extremely beneficial to Earth's astronomers.