Swift Spacecraft Animations: 2025

  • Released Thursday, February 20, 2025
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NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, shown in this artist’s concept, orbits Earth as it studies the ever-changing universe.

Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab

This page contains animations and illustrations of NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory spacecraft, which launched in November 2004.

Swift can quickly and autonomously point at new events in the sky and was designed to detect, locate, and study gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful explosions in the universe. It hosts three instruments — the Burst Alert Telescope, the Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope, and the X-ray Telescope — which provide astrophysicists with a multiwavelength view of cosmic objects and occurrences.

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the Swift mission in collaboration with Pennsylvania State University in University Park, the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, and Northrop Grumman Space Systems in Dulles, Virginia. Other partners include the University of Leicester and Mullard Space Science Laboratory in the United Kingdom, Brera Observatory in Italy, and the Italian Space Agency.

The camera pans around the Swift spacecraft in this artist’s concept. Swift then repoints three times before the animation concludes. Also available for download are frames and video with an alpha channel.

Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab

The camera pans away from Earth to focus on a sky full of stars in this artist’s concept.

Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab

The Swift spacecraft rotates 360 degrees as if on a turntable in this artist’s concept. The download provides the black background shown here as well as a transparent option.

Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab

The Swift spacecraft points away from the camera in this artist’s concept. A version with a transparent background is also available. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab Alt text: A spacecraft against a black background Image description: The Swift spacecraft points away from the camera against a black background in this illustration. Swift is composed of a long cylinder at the center, wrapped in golden foil. At the front of the cylinder is a triangular silver sunshade. Two solar arrays are attached on either side of the cylinder, extending like wings.

The Swift spacecraft points away from the camera in this artist’s concept. A version with a transparent background is also available.

Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab

Alt text: A spacecraft against a black background

Image description: The Swift spacecraft points away from the camera against a black background in this illustration. Swift is composed of a long cylinder at the center, wrapped in golden foil. At the front of the cylinder is a triangular silver sunshade. Two solar arrays are attached on either side of the cylinder, extending like wings.

The Swift spacecraft is angled slightly to the right of the camera in this artist’s concept. A version with a transparent background is also available. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab Alt text: A spacecraft against a white background Image description: The Swift spacecraft is angled slightly right of a head-on view against a white background. Swift is composed of a long cylinder at the center, wrapped in golden foil. The underside of the cylinder is open, exposing some of Swift’s interior components. At the front of the cylinder is a silver sunshade protruding over the openings of two telescopes. Beneath the telescopes is a silver box. Two solar arrays are attached on either side of the cylinder, extending like wings.

The Swift spacecraft is angled slightly to the right of the camera in this artist’s concept. A version with a transparent background is also available.

Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab

Alt text: A spacecraft against a white background

Image description: The Swift spacecraft is angled slightly right of a head-on view against a white background. Swift is composed of a long cylinder at the center, wrapped in golden foil. The underside of the cylinder is open, exposing some of Swift’s interior components. At the front of the cylinder is a silver sunshade protruding over the openings of two telescopes. Beneath the telescopes is a silver box. Two solar arrays are attached on either side of the cylinder, extending like wings.

The Swift spacecraft is angled toward the camera, looking upward in this artist’s concept. A version with a transparent background is also available. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab Alt text: A spacecraft against a white background Image description: The Swift spacecraft is oriented head-on to the camera, pointing upward against a white background. Swift is composed of a long cylinder at the center. The underside of the cylinder is open, exposing some of Swift’s interior components. At the front of the cylinder is a silver sunshade protruding over the openings of two telescopes. Beneath the telescopes is a silver box. Two solar arrays are attached on either side of the cylinder, extending like wings.

The Swift spacecraft is angled toward the camera, looking upward in this artist’s concept. A version with a transparent background is also available.

Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab

Alt text: A spacecraft against a white background

Image description: The Swift spacecraft is oriented head-on to the camera, pointing upward against a white background. Swift is composed of a long cylinder at the center. The underside of the cylinder is open, exposing some of Swift’s interior components. At the front of the cylinder is a silver sunshade protruding over the openings of two telescopes. Beneath the telescopes is a silver box. Two solar arrays are attached on either side of the cylinder, extending like wings.

The Swift spacecraft is angled nearly 90 degrees from the camera, looking toward upper left, in this artist’s concept. A version with a transparent background is also available. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab Alt text: A spacecraft against a white background Image description: The Swift spacecraft points nearly 90 degrees from the camera, looking toward upper left, against a white background. Swift is composed of a long cylinder at the center. At the front of the cylinder is a silver sunshade protruding two telescopes. Beneath the telescopes is a silver box. A solar array is attached on the side of the cylinder facing the camera.

The Swift spacecraft is angled nearly 90 degrees from the camera, looking toward upper left, in this artist’s concept. A version with a transparent background is also available.

Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab

Alt text: A spacecraft against a white background

Image description: The Swift spacecraft points nearly 90 degrees from the camera, looking toward upper left, against a white background. Swift is composed of a long cylinder at the center. At the front of the cylinder is a silver sunshade protruding two telescopes. Beneath the telescopes is a silver box. A solar array is attached on the side of the cylinder facing the camera.

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab

This page was originally published on Thursday, February 20, 2025.
This page was last updated on Thursday, February 20, 2025 at 9:10 AM EST.

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