NASA's Swift Telescope Rescue Craft Experiences Unexpected Spin, Delaying Mission
The unmanned Link spacecraft, designed to boost the aging Swift observatory to a higher orbit, began tumbling in space, postponing the planned rescue operation.
NASA's Swift gamma-ray burst observatory, launched in 2004, has been losing altitude at roughly 1.5 miles per week as increased atmospheric drag from an unusually strong solar cycle lifts the density of the upper atmosphere. To counter the decay, the private firm Katalyst built a small rescue vehicle named Link, intended to rendezvous with Swift and push it into a higher orbit.
During a test approach a few miles from the telescope, Link entered an uncontrolled spin, completing a full rotation every 40 seconds. The malfunction threatens the planned maneuver and has pushed the timeline back by at least two weeks.
"The spinning is a very serious situation," said Ghonhee Lee, chief executive of Katalyst, noting that engineers are actively working on a solution.
NASA expressed optimism that a fix will be found, but acknowledged that the delay adds uncertainty to the effort to preserve the aging observatory.