NASA launches $30 million robotic mission to lift Swift telescope to higher orbit
NASA has contracted startup Katalyst Space Technologies to rendezvous with the aging Swift Observatory and raise its orbit, aiming to prevent the satellite’s re-entry before October.
NASA is preparing to launch a $30 million robotic rescue mission to boost the Swift gamma-ray telescope to a higher, more stable orbit. The mission, scheduled to lift off from the Marshall Islands aboard a Pegasus rocket as early as Tuesday, will use Katalyst Space Technologies’ three-armed spacecraft, named Link, to capture Swift and lift it from its current 224-mile (360-km) altitude to about 373 miles (600 km).
Swift, launched in 2004, has been descending faster due to recent intense solar activity and must be raised above 185 miles (300 km) to avoid uncontrolled re-entry, which is projected to become unavoidable by October. The rescue effort could allow the observatory to resume operations by September.
Katalyst CEO Ghonhee Lee said the mission demonstrates a new capability for American space robotics, noting that only China has previously performed a similar orbital-boost operation. NASA’s astrophysics director Shawn Domagal-Goldman acknowledged the challenge, stating that “no one thought it was going to be possible.” Science mission chief Nicky Fox emphasized the importance of preserving Swift, adding that the agency lacks funding to replace the telescope.
If successful, the operation could pave the way for future robotic servicing of satellites and larger observatories such as the Hubble Space Telescope, which Lee suggests could receive a similar boost in 2028.