Katalyst's Tumbling Link Craft Dooms NASA's Swift Observatory Rescue
On Wednesday, NASA and Katalyst Space revealed that they have scrapped a mission intended to salvage the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. This operation depended on Katalyst's Link spacecraft, which was launched in early July with the goal of capturing the observatory at an altitude of 347 kilometers and elevating it to 600 kilometers. Unfortunately, Link began to spin uncontrollably post-launch, and efforts to regain control were unsuccessful. As a result, both Katalyst and NASA announced that the mission would not move forward, likely leading to the re-entry and destruction of the $500 million observatory later this year. The Swift observatory, which has been operational since 2004, has identified thousands of cosmic events, raising concerns about the reliability of in-orbit servicing technologies.
Key facts
- NASA and Katalyst Space cancelled the rescue mission on Wednesday.
- Katalyst's Link spacecraft began spinning uncontrollably after reaching space.
- The Link spacecraft launched in early July.
- The Swift observatory orbits at 347 km and was to be raised to 600 km.
- New positioning software slowed but did not stop the spinning.
- The joint statement confirmed the mission will not include capture and boost.
- The observatory is NASA's US$500 million Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory.
- The observatory has studied gamma-ray bursts since 2004.
- It will likely fall into Earth's atmosphere and burn up later this year.
- The Link craft was encapsulated aboard a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL in Virginia in June.
Entities
Institutions
- NASA
- Katalyst Space
- Northrop Grumman
Locations
- Virginia
- United States
- Earth