Katalyst's Rescue Satellite Encounters Thruster Failure, Threatening Swift Telescope Lift

Katalyst Space Technologies said its Link satellite, launched three weeks ago to retrieve NASA's aging Swift telescope, experienced thruster malfunctions over the weekend and began spinning uncontrollably, disrupting communications. The problem threatens the planned rendezvous that would lift Swift to a safer orbit before it re-enters Earth’s atmosphere this fall. Swift, launched in 2004, has been descending faster than expected due to recent solar activity, halting its observations of gamma-ray bursts and other cosmic explosions. NASA has allocated $30 million for the rescue, which was organized in under a year. Katalyst indicated that all other major subsystems of Link remain functional and that the mission is still active. > "The mission remains active and we continue to believe that with these changes, Link has a viable path to rendezvous with Swift," the company said in a statement.