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NASA to Launch Robotic Mission to Save Falling Telescope Tuesday
NASA hired Katalyst Space Technologies to use a $30 million robotic spacecraft to catch Swift and raise its orbit before reentry.
- NASA hired startup Katalyst Space Technologies for a $30 million rescue mission to save the aging Swift Observatory, with the robotic spacecraft launching as early as Tuesday from the Marshall Islands.
- Swift has been losing altitude due to intense solar activity since its 2004 launch and must remain above 185 miles to function; estimates suggest it could reach a point of no return by October.
- Katalyst's autonomous spacecraft, named Lift, features a 40-foot solar wingspan and three arms with pinching grippers, requiring one month to rendezvous with Swift and two months to raise its orbit to 373 miles.
- Katalyst Space CEO Ghonhee Lee called the mission "a new play in the playbook," marking the first time an American space robot has attempted such a recovery and establishing a new repair industry.
- Successful operation could enable future missions, as thirty-six-year-old Hubble also faces altitude loss and could receive a life-extending boost from Katalyst as early as 2028.
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The Swift telescope, launched in 2004, is losing altitude. To save it, a robotic spacecraft must reach it before October.
NASA Launches Daring Mission to Save Telescope
NASA is racing to save an aging telescope from falling back to Earth with a daring rescue mission, the AP reports. The $30 million salvage operation gets underway as soon as this week with the planned launch of a robotic lifesaver. NASA hired startup Katalyst Space Technologies to boost the...
·Miami, United States
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Total News Sources136
Leaning Left42Leaning Right14Center59Last UpdatedBias Distribution51% Center
Bias Distribution
- 51% of the sources are Center
51% Center
L 37%
C 51%
12%
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