Abu dhabi: NASA is preparing to launch a mission to save the ageing Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory from falling back to Earth after recent intense solar activity caused its orbit to decay more rapidly.

According to Emirates News Agency, the US$30 million mission, which could get underway as early as this week, will be carried out in partnership with Katalyst Space Technologies. A robotic spacecraft equipped with three arms will rendezvous with the observatory and boost it into a higher, more stable orbit, enabling it to continue observing some of the universe's biggest explosions.

The spacecraft is scheduled to launch aboard an air-launched Pegasus XL rocket from the Marshall Islands as early as this week. Swift, which has been operating since 2004, requires a higher orbit as soon as possible to avoid re-entering Earth's atmosphere.