NASA's rescue mission for the Swift Observatory failed when the Link satellite malfunctioned and spun out of control weeks after launch, despite successfully completing initial checkouts. The achievement of designing and building the rescue satellite in just nine months under a $30M Katalyst Space Technologies contract was praised by officials as remarkable, even though it couldn't prevent Swift from re-entering Earth's atmosphere.
Background
The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory has been a key NASA mission since 2004 for detecting gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful explosions in the universe. Its orbit has been decaying, prompting the novel rescue attempt.
- Source
- Ars Technica
- Published
- Oct 1, 2026 at 07:15 PM
- Score
- 7.0 / 10