NASA is preparing an unprecedented mission to save the Swift Observatory, a space telescope that has been studying the universe since 2004 but is now losing altitude faster than expected.
The telescope, which specializes in detecting powerful gamma-ray bursts, has been gradually descending due to atmospheric drag intensified by increased solar activity. Without intervention, it could reenter Earth’s atmosphere and burn up.
To prevent that outcome, NASA plans to launch a commercial robotic spacecraft later this month that will rendezvous with Swift, capture it, and boost it into a higher orbit. If successful, the mission would become the first time a commercial spacecraft has rescued a government satellite that was never designed to be serviced in space.
Arizona-based Katalyst Space developed the rescue vehicle, called LINK, in less than a year under a $30 million NASA contract. The spacecraft features a custom capture system designed to attach to Swift without damaging its instruments.
The mission is scheduled to launch aboard a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket later in June and could extend Swift’s operational life by several years while demonstrating a new approach to servicing aging satellites in orbit.