NASA aborts Swift telescope rescue mission after spacecraft control problems

NASA and Katalyst Space Technologies announced Wednesday that the effort to retrieve the Swift Observatory has been terminated. The rescue spacecraft, Link, experienced persistent control issues after its launch in early July, including an uncontrollable spin and ongoing pointing problems, preventing it from capturing the telescope and raising its orbit.

Swift, launched in 2004, has been losing altitude faster than anticipated due to intense solar activity. NASA had paid $30 million to Katalyst to attempt a boost to a higher, longer-lasting orbit. With the rescue aborted, the satellite is expected to descend through the atmosphere later this year after more than two decades of observing gamma-ray bursts and other cosmic explosions.

"This is not the outcome we were working toward, but it does not change why this mission was worth attempting," NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said.

Katalyst will keep Link operating near Swift to demonstrate capabilities for future rescue missions. CEO Ghonhee Lee described the project as an ambitious effort assembled in under a year, noting that the team had achieved several milestones and gained valuable experience.

Swift’s instruments were shut down earlier this year to slow its descent, and it was orbiting at roughly 216 miles (347 km) as of last week. The cancellation also affects plans to boost the Hubble Space Telescope, which faces a similar orbital decay, though NASA has not yet confirmed Hubble’s status.