Northrop Grumman launches spacecraft to rescue NASA's Swift telescope
NASA contracted startup Katalyst Space Technologies to build a three-armed spacecraft that will rendezvous with the aging Swift gamma-ray observatory and lift it to a higher, stable orbit, officials said. The $30 million mission was announced as a way to prevent the satellite’s uncontrolled re-entry before October, according to AP News. CBS reported that the spacecraft would use three robotic arms to capture the telescope and raise its altitude. The Los Angeles Times noted that the launch would be funded by NASA and that the goal was to keep Swift operational for scientific observations.
The BBC added that the vehicle was designed to secure the observatory and place it in a safe orbit. Northrop Grumman later launched the Link spacecraft on a Pegasus rocket, AP News reported, to capture and raise Swift’s orbit as the telescope descended due to solar-storm-induced drag. WRAL said the mission aims to return the observatory to service by September. The launch marked the first use of the three-armed vehicle for a satellite-retrieval task.
