Rescue mission launches to save NASA telescope that’s falling back to Earth
NASA’s $30 million mission aims to raise Swift’s orbit before the telescope falls back to Earth.
- On Friday, a three-armed spacecraft launched from the Marshall Islands to rescue the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, which faces imminent atmospheric reentry. Northrop Grumman's Pegasus rocket carried the Katalyst Space Technologies LINK satellite into orbit.
- Atmospheric drag and solar activity have pulled Swift down to 210 miles and falling, threatening to destroy NASA's $250 million asset by year-end. The agency initiated the rescue to extend the telescope's scientific observations.
- The L-1011 Stargazer aircraft released the Pegasus rocket and LINK satellite from 40,000 feet above the Kwajalein Atoll. Katalyst's $30 million mission costs significantly less than the $74 million price of a Falcon 9 launch.
- After testing navigation and sensors, LINK will spend two to three weeks surveying Swift to identify grappling points. If successful, the telescope will resume full scientific observations by fall.
- Katalyst Space CEO Ghonhee Lee said the mission creates "a blueprint for servicing spacecraft that were never designed for on-orbit maintenance." The success demonstrates technology for rescuing future observatories like the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
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108 Articles
Nasa’s Swift boost mission begins as LINK spacecraft sets out to save observatory
Nasa has launched a pioneering satellite servicing mission to boost the ageing Swift space telescope into a higher orbit, extending its life while marking the final flight of the Pegasus XL rocket.
The LINK spacecraft is attempting to grab NASA's Swift telescope with its three robotic arms and lift it back closer to its original orbit.
Nasa launches major rescue mission as telescope plunges towards Earth
Nasa has launched an unprecedented space rescue mission today, deploying a robotic spacecraft to intercept and save a falling telescope before it plunges back to Earth.The LINK craft - a fridge-sized robot equipped with three mechanical arms - blasted off this morning aboard a Pegasus XL rocket tasked with catching the Swift observatory telescope.Arizona-based Katalyst Space Technologies constructed the rescue vehicle in a rapid eight-month time…
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